WALES

Billing

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the average time taken by his Department to settle invoices to external suppliers or contractors was in each of the last three financial years.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office policy is to pay suppliers in accordance with the prime ministerial commitment of May 2010 that Government Departments should pay suppliers within five days of receipt of a valid invoice at the correct billing address. The percentage of invoices paid within these terms for the last three financial years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Percentage invoices paid within five days 
			 2011-12 92 
			 2010-11 92 
			 2009-10 95

Cleaning Services

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to require all cleaning contracts held by his Department to stipulate that the cleaning products used and their ingredients should not have been tested on animals.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office makes use of contracts supplied and negotiated by the Ministry of Justice. We do not negotiate our own cleaning contracts.

Press: Subscriptions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales to which magazines, journals and newspapers his Department subscribes.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has a subscription with a Welsh language newspaper called Golwg.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Official Visits

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost of officials from her Department travelling to and from Northern Ireland and London was in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 to date.

Michael Penning: The total cost of officials from my Department travelling to and from Northern Ireland and London was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 196,814 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 225,294 
			 April 2012 to 23 October 2012 139,176

Official Visits

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  on what dates (a) she and (b) the Minister of State for Northern Ireland have visited Northern Ireland since being appointed;
	(2)  what visits she has made to Northern Ireland since being appointed.

Theresa Villiers: Since being appointed I have been in Northern Ireland on official business on six occasions, and the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning) on five occasions.
	Details of meetings with external organisations and individuals are published on a quarterly basis. These can be found at:
	http://www.nio.gov.uk/index/nio-publication/stats-and-research-publications.htm

PRIME MINISTER

Chequers

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish the guest list for each party held at Chequers to celebrate New Year's Eve since 1982.

David Cameron: A list of guests who have received official hospitality at Chequers is published on an annual basis.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Offences against Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were brought under section 58 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for internal trafficking of children in each year since its introduction.

Oliver Heald: The numbers of offences charged under section 58 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 since its introduction is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of offences charged 
			 2004-05 4 
			 2005-06 8 
			 2006-07 31 
			 2007-08 42 
			 2008-09 65 
			 2009-10 37 
			 2010-11 55 
			 2011-12 61 
			 2012-13 16 
		
	
	It should be noted that these figures show the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in the magistrates courts. They relate to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants as an individual defendant may be charged with more than one offence. Data on offences are not held by victim, defendant or outcome, and consequently it is not possible to provide figures for offences that specifically involve the trafficking of children within England and Wales.

Unsolicited Goods and Services

David Mowat: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to increase the number of successful prosecutions of individuals or companies involved in cold calling regarding accident claims;
	(2)  how many motor insurance companies have been successfully prosecuted for the selling of personal information in each of the last five years.

Helen Grant: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) are the most relevant pieces of legislation in relation to unsolicited calls and texts, and they are administered and enforced by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
	Cold calling is not in itself illegal. It only becomes a breach of PECR if the call is made to someone who has signed up to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and who has not otherwise given their consent to the call. This is not a criminal offence and hence would not lead to a prosecution. However, under PECR the ICO has powers to serve a Civil Monetary Penalty Notice (CMP) up to £500,000 against those who breach the DPA or PECR.
	The ICO is actively pursuing the problem of unsolicited marketing text messages and phone calls. To date, the ICO has issued two notices of intent (the precursor to a monetary penalty) in relation to unsolicited texts and is pursuing other lines of inquiry.
	The selling of personal information by motor insurance companies may breach the DPA but is unlikely be a criminal offence as the companies are classified as the data controller and the offence, under section 55 of the DPA, relates to the knowing or reckless obtaining, disclosing or procuring of the disclosure of personal data without the consent of the data controller. There have therefore been no such prosecutions by the ICO in the past five years.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Security

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what aviation security options were considered prior to the introduction of full-body scanners at airports.

Simon Burns: The deployment of security scanners was undertaken in response to the attack on Northwest flight 253 to Detroit on Christmas day 2009. The device used in this attack had been constructed with the aim of making detection by existing screening methods extremely difficult. Security scanners are a further measure that helps to detect concealed devices such as that used in the Detroit incident. We believe they provide the best assistance to aviation security staff in response to this threat. For security reasons it is not possible to provide more detail about the alternatives considered.

Blue Badge Scheme

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 2 October 2012, Official Report, column 652W, on the blue badge scheme, how many letters he has received from hon. Members on individual cases related to the renewal of blue badges for each local authority for which such an application relates, since 1 January 2012.

Norman Baker: The total number of ministerial letters related to renewals of Blue Badges received since 1 January 2012 is 52. The following table provides a breakdown of this information. We do not hold full information relating to the name of the local authority for each individual case. The name of the parliamentary constituency has therefore been included for all cases.
	
		
			 Local authority Constituency Number of letters 
			 Basildon Council Basildon and Billericay, Essex 2 
			 Bedford Borough Council North East Bedfordshire 1 
			 Blackpool Council Buckingham, Buckinghamshire 1 
			 Bristol City Council Bristol East 1 
			 Buckinghamshire County Council Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire 2 
			 Cornwall Council North Cornwall 1 
			 Devon County Council South West Devon 1 
			 Dorset County Council North Dorset 1 
			 East Sussex County Council Bexhill and Battle, East Sussex 1 
			 Kent County Council Gravesham, Kent 2 
			 Leicestershire County Council Charnwood, Leicestershire 1 
			 London Borough of Hounslow Brentford and Isleworth, Greater London 1 
			 Norfolk County Council North West Norfolk 1 
			 Plymouth City Council Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, Devon 1 
			 Portsmouth City Council Portsmouth North, Hampshire 1 
			 South Ayrshire Central Ayrshire 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Southampton City Council Romsey and Southampton North, Hampshire 1 
			 Surrey County Council Esher and Walton, Surrey 1 
			 West Sussex County Council Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, West Sussex 1 
			 Wokingham Borough Council Bracknell 1 
			 — Ashford, Kent 1 
			 — Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland 2 
			 — Bolton North East 1 
			 — Brighton, Kemptown in East Sussex 1 
			 — Bury South, Greater Manchester 1 
			 — Cheadle, Greater Manchester 1 
			 — Chesham and Amersham, Buckinghamshire 2 
			 — City of Chester, Cheshire 1 
			 — Dudley North, West Midlands 1 
			 — Eddisbury, Cheshire 1 
			 — Eltham, Greater London 1 
			 — Gedling, Nottinghamshire 1 
			 — Halesowen and Rowley Regis, West Midlands 1 
			 — Harborough, Leicestershire 1 
			 — Hastings and Rye, East Sussex 1 
			 — Jarrow, Tyne and Wear 1 
			 — Kenilworth and Southam, Warwickshire 1 
			 — Leicester West 1 
			 — Manchester Withington 1 
			 — Rayleigh and Wickford, Essex 2 
			 — Richmond Park, Greater London 1 
			 — South Ribble, Lancashire 1 
			 — Suffolk Coastal 1 
			 — Weaver Vale, Cheshire 1 
			 — Welwyn Hatfield, Hertfordshire 1 
			 — Westmorland and Lonsdale, Cumbria 1 
			  Total 52

Bus Services

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will publish the minutes of the Bus Service Operator's Grant Better Bus Area working groups.

Norman Baker: holding answer 24 October 2012
	There are no plans to publish papers from the meetings of the Bus Service Operator's Grant working groups. However, they are available on request from buses@dft.gsi. gov.uk as stated on the department's web-site. No such requests have been received. A copy of the minutes has been sent to the Honourable Member.

Driving under Influence: Drugs

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential effect of his Department's proposed drug driving legislation on the quality of life of patients taking long-term prescription medication to manage chronic pain; what discussions he has had with (a) other Government Departments and (b) external stakeholders on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Studies show that drivers who are under the influence of drugs are more likely to have an accident. Under section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, it is already an offence to drive while unfit through drink or drugs, irrespective of whether the drug consumed was illicit or prescription medication. There is no defence available for the section 4 offence.
	Clause 27 of the Crime and Courts Bill creates a new offence of driving with a specified controlled drug in the body in excess of the specified limit for that drug. This is required in order to make it easier for the police to take action against drug driving. The clause includes a defence which is available where a specified controlled drug is prescribed or supplied (in accordance with the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971) and taken in line with medical advice.
	The following additional safeguards are also in place:
	Police cannot test drivers for drugs at random.
	Roadside drug screeners will be rigorously tested during type approval to ensure reliability of results.
	The expert panel which is advising on specified limits will take account of normal therapeutic ranges and expected drug concentrations in blood when recommending limits for those drugs that may also be used for medicinal purposes.
	The prosecution for a case where the medical defence was raised would need to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defence could not be relied on.
	The Code for Crown Prosecutors states that prosecutors:
	“should swiftly stop cases...where the public interest clearly does not require a prosecution”.
	Controlled drugs with medical uses are not excluded from the scope of the new offence because some drugs which have medical uses can significantly impair driving, and there is evidence that such drugs are widely misused. While it is important to consider carefully the quality of life of those who are legitimately taking long-term pain medication, to protect other people's lives it is also necessary to ensure that effective action can be taken against any drivers who are impaired by drugs.
	In developing the new offence, officials at the Department for Transport meet regularly with the Department of Health, the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Members of the expert panel on drug driving include representatives of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and the Commission on Human Medicines.
	Department for Transport officials and the expert panel have already had some discussions with interested stakeholders. Officials and the expert panel will continue to work with stakeholders informally and through the formal consultation process and will work closely with the pharmaceutical industry, regulators, pharmacists and clinicians to clarify the information given to patients about driving while taking prescription medication.
	Furthermore, the secondary legislation setting out the specific limits for specific controlled drugs will be subject to public consultation and must be approved by both Houses under the affirmative resolution procedure.

Driving: Licensing

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has had any discussions regarding the potential introduction of graduated driver licensing; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has considered the issue of graduated driver licensing in the wider context of improving the safety of young drivers. We will keep this policy under constant review.
	Improving the safety and ability of young drivers is a key priority for the Government. This is why we have made the driving test more realistic and are also considering how to improve post-test training.
	We are already working with young people, the insurance industry and other key stakeholders to identify what else can be done to ensure newly qualified drivers are properly prepared and drive safely. We will carefully consider any ideas that reduce the risk of young drivers being involved in road traffic accidents.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his latest estimate is for the cost of the proposed HS2 spur to Heathrow.

Simon Burns: Work undertaken by HS2 Ltd indicates a base construction cost of £1.8 billion to £1.9 billion. The Government have not yet published the output of HS2 Ltd's most recent work and any associated revised costings. However, it is unlikely that the cost quoted above will be altered significantly.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what allowance was made in HS2's demand forecasts for abstraction of passengers from HS2 services by franchised and open-access operators making use of spare capacity on the existing network once HS2 is in operation.

Simon Burns: HS2 Ltd's analysis of the economic case for HS2 is based on an illustrative service specification that takes account of expected changes in demand across both the new and existing networks. This analysis assumes that a significant proportion of long-distance inter-city demand will move from the existing railway on to the new HS2 lines, creating capacity on the classic network for additional commuter, regional and freight services. However, it would clearly be inappropriate in 2012 to take specific decisions on what the timetable of the rail network should look like in the 2030s.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assumptions his Department has made as to route and terminus locations and passenger and baggage connections between the High Speed 2 terminus station and the existing airport when calculating the latest cost estimate of the proposed High Speed 2 spur to Heathrow.

Simon Burns: As stated in the Department for Transport's business plan, the Secretary of State for Transport intends to publish his initial preferred route and station options for Phase 2 of HS2 by the end of the year. The basis of the latest cost estimate will be made clear at that point.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what alternatives to the proposed western connection to Heathrow Airport were examined by his Department in advance of the commitment to allocate £500 million to that project;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost of the proposed western connection to Heathrow Airport; and what assessment he has made of the likely availability of private funding to cover project costs in excess of £500 million.

Simon Burns: Detailed consideration of a western heavy rail connection to Heathrow Airport was recommended by the rail industry in its 2011 Initial Industry Plan. The High Level Output Specification for rail, published in July 2012, asks the rail industry to develop and, subject to a satisfactory business case and agreement with the Heathrow aviation industry, commence construction of such a link in the 2014-19 period. The cost of the link and availability of private funding will be considered in detail as the rail industry develops the proposal.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what definition his Department uses for on-airport station in respect of High Speed 2.

Simon Burns: In respect of Heathrow, this means within or immediately alongside the airport perimeter.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide the salaries, pensions arrangements, remuneration packages and expenses claimed by (a) the board members of High Speed 2 Ltd and (b) members of the external review groups in respect of High Speed 2 to date.

Simon Burns: The information is as follows:
	(a) The salaries, fees and expenses paid by High Speed 2 Ltd to the members of its board are set out in the HS2 Ltd annual accounts. The latest set of accounts is available on the HS2 Ltd website at:
	http://www.hs2.org.uk/accounts
	Alison Munro, chief executive officer, is a member of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme. No other board members of High Speed 2 Ltd are or have been in receipt of pensions in connection with their role as board members of the company.
	(b) HS2 Ltd has paid fees and expenses to members of Challenge and Advisory Panels totalling approximately £95,000 from the date the company started to the end of September 2012.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings took place (a) between his Department and (b) High Speed 2 Ltd personnel and staff of the Office of the Rail Regulator in the last two years; and what subjects were discussed at each of those meetings.

Simon Burns: Ministers and officials met their ORR counterparts on a regular basis over the last two years to discuss a wide range of issues. There have been no meetings between HS2 Ltd officials and ORR in the last two years.

Network Rail

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of establishing each of Network Rail's six models for forming alliances with train operating companies.

Simon Burns: The Department for Transport made no assessment of the cost of establishing alliances.
	The framework for alliancing has been developed by Network Rail, which is a private sector company limited by guarantee, in order to secure maximum benefits from partnership working with train operating companies, reducing costs and securing benefits for rail users.

Network Rail

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on allowing Network Rail to borrow in foreign currencies.

Simon Burns: Network Rail is a private company operating as a commercial business. Network Rail is directly responsible to its members and is regulated by the independent Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). The issue of Network Rail's foreign currency borrowings is therefore a matter for the company and the ORR.

Pedestrian Crossings: Schools

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the role of school crossing patrols in promoting (a) road safety and (b) awareness of road safety for school children; and if his Department will provide additional ring-fenced funding to local authorities to ensure their full provision.

Stephen Hammond: We take the safety of children and all road users very seriously.
	It is for the local authorities to decide whether a school crossing patrol is appropriate at any site. Road Safety GB, which represents local government road safety teams across the UK, produces “School Crossing Patrol Service Guidelines”, which contains guidance on how to assess where a school crossing patrol may be beneficial.
	The Departments for Transport's Think! campaigns and road safety education resources are available free online to the public to help teach children about all aspects of road safety. Our Tales of the Road Highway Code booklet for young road users is a useful guide to road safety and lays emphasis on the green cross code.
	The Department has no plans to provide additional ring-fenced funding to local authorities for school crossing patrols.

Rail Delivery Group

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many officials in his Department have been assigned to provide administrative support to the Rail Delivery Group since June 2011; and how many will be assigned to such work in 2013-14;
	(2)  what (a) advisory and (b) communications support his Department will provide the Rail Delivery Group;
	(3)  whether officials in his Department assisted in the drafting of the articles of association (RDG Articles) governing the membership and work of the Rail Delivery Group; and whether (a) ministers and (b) officials in his Department can propose amendments to RDG Articles to the Office of Rail Regulation.

Simon Burns: The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) was established by, and is fully funded by, Network Rail, the owning groups that operate the rail industry's passenger franchises, and the leading rail freight companies. The Department for Transport does not provide administrative support to the group.
	Officials from the Department for Transport have not been involved in drafting the Rail Delivery Group's articles of association.
	The Department responded to the recent Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) consultation on the formalisation of the RDG. The response can be viewed on the ORR's website at:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.10968
	The Department will continue to work alongside the RDG to ensure that the group's work delivers the maximum long-term benefits for taxpayers and farepayers.

Railways: Franchises

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what extent consultants have been used by his Department to advise on the (a) West Coast Mainline, (b) Great Western, (c) Essex Thameside and (d) Thameslink franchise decision to date; what fees have been paid to each consultant; and whether any conflicts of interest have been declared in respect of each such contract.

Simon Burns: A table listing the consultants involved in these franchise competitions, including the fees paid up until 23 October 2012, is provided as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Technical Advice Legal Advice 
			 Franchise Leigh Fisher Steer Davies Gleave WS Atkins Eversheds 
			 West Coast — — 490,810 439,000 
			 Great Western — 432,627 — 241,398 
			 Essex Thameside 189,180 — — 98,740 
			 Thameslink — — 462,418 136,080 
		
	
	With respect to declarations of conflicts of interest:
	In a letter to the Department dated 3 July 2012, WS Atkins notified the Department of their sister company (Faithful & Gould)'s support to Siemens PLC during the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project. This letter provided multiple levels of reassurance to ensure that no conflicts of interest arose from this relationship.
	In a letter to the Department dated 5 December 2011, Leigh Fisher notified the Department of their involvement in other franchising work, but provided assurances that this work did not involve any bidder participating in the Essex Thameside franchise competition.
	All other consultants engaged on these projects declared that they had no conflicts of interest.

Rescue Services: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Irish Government on future arrangements for Irish Coast Guard stations and their role in supporting HM Coastguard in Northern Ireland.

Stephen Hammond: No recent discussions have been held at a ministerial level. However, officials, including the Chief Coastguard, maintain close liaison with the Irish Coast Guard on search and rescue co-operation matters and implementation of the coastguard modernisation programme.

Rescue Services: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents required a joint response from the Irish Coast Guard and HM Coastguard, by coastguard station, in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The number of incidents that required a joint response from the Irish Coast Guard and HM Coastguard, by Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC), in each of the last five years, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 MRCC 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 (to date) 
			 Clyde 6 4 2 2 1 
			 Milford Haven 23 16 24 16 21 
			 Belfast 38 54 50 49 37 
			 Holyhead 2 1 4 4 3 
			 Falmouth 40 32 37 50 43

Roads

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what support his Department provides to local highway authorities whose road networks are disproportionately affected by disused mine and quarry workings; and whether he has considered reviewing the adequacy of the support provided.

Norman Baker: Many of the disused mines and quarries on the local road network are in private ownership and those companies will be responsible for their maintenance and upkeep. Local highway authorities can, however, require any disused mines or quarries to be made safe or not cause an obstruction or danger to other highway users.
	The Department for Transport is allocating over £3 billion to local highway authorities over the four year period from 2011/12 for highways maintenance. It is for the local authorities, who are responsible for the roads in their areas, to decide how to allocate these funds.

Shipping

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether a ship sailing on routes between UK ports and (a) the Channel Islands and (b) France is classified by his Department as working (i) wholly or (ii) largely within UK territorial waters.

Stephen Hammond: It is not possible for a ship to travel from a UK port to either the Channel Islands or France while wholly within the UK territorial sea. The proportion of its voyage which was conducted in the UK territorial sea would vary substantially depending on the route taken.

Shipping: Fuels

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he will take to minimise the effect on seafarers' jobs of the introduction of the 0.1% sulphur content in fuels used by the shipping industry in the Emission Control Area covering UK waters from 1 January 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Pollutant emissions from ships are regulated by Annex VI to the MARPOL Convention. The UK supports the limits in Annex VI which are designed to improve air quality, resulting in consequential benefits for public health and for the environment. Emissions from land-based sources are already tightly controlled. Road transport fuel, for example, is subject to a stricter sulphur limit of 0.001%—a hundred times less sulphur than the limit for the Emission Control Areas (ECA).
	During recent European negotiations, the Department was successful in curbing any gold-plating of the international standard in the new European directive for vessels operating in an ECA to a minimum. We also ensured that the exceptions and exemptions in Annex VI were replicated in the text of the new directive.
	The Government are working with industry stakeholders to identify the potential effects of introducing low-sulphur fuels. The Government held a round table discussion on 22 October with a range of industry stakeholders about the cost-effective technical means of meeting the new requirements. The Government concluded that further work to assess the cost of the new sulphur limit on ships operating in ECAs is needed and further engagement between shipowners, equipment manufacturers and regulatory authorities on exhaust gas cleaning systems would be beneficial. The Department will work with other Government Departments, industry stakeholders and other regulatory bodies to achieve this.

Shipping: Safety

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether ships flying a flag of convenience that are sailing on routes between UK ports and (a) the Channel Islands and (b) France are subject to the maritime safety framework enforced by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Stephen Hammond: UK merchant shipping regulations, which implement international conventions, apply to all ships operating in UK waters, including those travelling either to the Channel Islands or France, regardless of their flag. In addition, any foreign-registered ships entering UK ports or waters are subject to unannounced inspection visits by Maritime and Coastguard Agency surveyors to provide assurance that standards of safety, pollution prevention and conditions for seafarers meet international standards. In the case of roll-on/roll-off passenger ships, we also operate joint inspection programmes with our European counterparts.

West Coast Railway Line

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Directly Operated Railways would be able to take over the operation of the West Coast Main Line in the event that it is not possible to reach an agreement with another operator.

Simon Burns: Following the Secretary of State for Transport's announcement on 15 October 2012, Official Report, columns 46-47, Directly Operated Railways has stepped back from full contingency planning. However, it continues to remain on standby to assist the Secretary of State should this be necessary under his duties under s30 of the Railways Act 1993.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department had discussions with the EU on his decision to (a) discuss with Virgin its operating the West Coast Mainline on a temporary basis and (b) to invite bids for an interim franchise.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), carried out his duties and obligations within the Railways Act 1993 and within domestic and European procurement law.
	The UK Government do not normally comment on our dealings with the European Commission or other European institutions. Any such discussions or dealings, whenever they do take place, are confidential.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations provided legal advice to his Department on his decision to discuss with Virgin its operating the West Coast Mainline on a temporary basis and to invite bids for an interim franchise.

Simon Burns: The Department is currently sourcing legal advice on this matter from Eversheds LLP.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what external consultants have been used by his Department to advise the Department on the West Coast Mainline franchise since 2010; and what fees have been paid to those consultants to date.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle) on 19 October 2012, Official Report, column 532.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) UK and (b) EU legislation and regulations were considered in respect of his decision to negotiate with Virgin to operate the West Coast Mainline on a temporary basis and to invite bids for an interim franchise.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport carried out his duties and obligations within the Railways Act 1993 and within domestic and European procurement law.

Wheels to Work Schemes

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial support his Department provided to Wheels to Work schemes in each financial year from 2008-09 to 2011-12.

Norman Baker: The Department is providing financial support to a number of Wheels to Work schemes through its £600 million Local Sustainable Transport Fund. Of the successful local authority bids allocated funds in 2011-12, six included Wheels to Work schemes (Devon, Plymouth, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority, Transport for Greater Manchester). The schemes are just getting under way so it is not possible at this stage to identify the precise amount of financial support.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Council

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many complaints of child abuse involving British Council (a) employees, (b) temporary staff and (c) contractors were (i) received by his Department and (ii) investigated in each year since 1982.

Hugo Swire: As a charity and executive non-departmental public body, the British Council is responsible itself for ensuring it has robust policies in place for addressing allegations of child abuse. As a consequence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not record allegations of child abuse involving British Council staff. The British Council has, however, provided the following information:
	Since the establishment of its specialist child protection team in January 2010, the British Council has received and investigated three allegations of child abuse. All three involved employees. Two of the cases were unsubstantiated. The third case resulted in the staff member being dismissed and referred to the Independent Safeguarding Authority.
	Prior to 2010, allegations of child abuse were dealt with in country by Country Directors, in line with corporate policies and child protection legislation and with the support of and guidance of the British Council's headquarters. In addition, British Council employees had a duty to report concerns through a corporate whistleblowing/speaking-up policy. A check of centrally-held records identifies two additional cases against employees for the time period in question, which, while not specifically complaints, were causes for concern and dismissal.
	The British Council always stands ready to investigate any allegations, including historical ones, in the event of any new concerns or information coming to light. The British Council has a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse and robust vetting procedures in place for all employees, temporary staff and contractors whose jobs involve working with children, both in the UK and overseas. Its child protection policy places a duty on all staff to report any allegation of child abuse or expressions of concern. This duty is articulated in policy and procedures and reinforced in staff induction and mandatory child protection awareness training. All British Council employees, temporary staff and contractors are required to adhere to this policy. A copy of the British Council's child protection policy has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many permits his Department has issued to allow merchant vessels access to the British Indian Ocean Territory Marine Protected Area in each of the last five years.

Mark Simmonds: The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Marine Protected Area (MPA) was proclaimed on 1 April 2010.
	The BIOT Administration issues permits to private yachts for short-term moorings. We have not issued any permits to merchant vessels transiting BIOT as such ships do not require a permit.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on the maintenance of the Marine Protected Area around the British Indian Ocean Territory since 31 March 2011.

Mark Simmonds: The British Indian Ocean Territory Administration has spent just over £3.3 million on maintaining the marine protected area in the British Indian Ocean Territory since 31 March last year. This funding comes from a variety of sources and includes funding for the patrol vessel the Pacific Marlin, the fuel for the vessel, and the fisheries protection officer.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on biodiversity conservation in the UK Overseas Territories in each of the last five years.

Mark Simmonds: In each of the past five years the Department has dedicated £500,000 through its Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP) to support environment, biodiversity and conservation work in the Territories. This commitment of £500,000 now continues through the Darwin Plus: Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department have worked full time on environmental issues in the UK Overseas Territories in each of the last five years.

Mark Simmonds: In each of the past five years the Department has had one full-time staff member dedicated to environmental issues in the UK Overseas Territories. This staff member is supported in the Territories by a network of Staff Officers who are based in Governors’ Offices.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Department for International Development also have UK-based staff who work directly on UK Overseas Territories environment and climate change issues. The White Paper committed each Department to lead in their respective areas of responsibility.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the economic risks posed to the UK by environmental degradation and climate change in the UK Overseas Territories.

Mark Simmonds: The Department contributed to the Foresight report, “International Dimensions of Climate Change”, which was published in 2011. The report provides an overview of the evidence of threats and opportunities to the UK from international climate change and includes a section on the Overseas Territories. The report is available from:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/foresight/docs/international-dimensions/11-1042-international-dimensions-of-climate-change.pdf

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding his Department has given to the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum in each of the last seven years.

Mark Simmonds: The Department has provided the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum with multi-year funding to support its work in the Territories. I will write to you with a breakdown of the funding as this information is not immediately available.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding his Department has given to the Overseas Territories Environment Programme in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Simmonds: Since 2007-08 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has allocated approximately £500,000 each year to the Overseas Territories Environment Programme. Prior to this date records could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	The Territories are home to many species and environments found nowhere else in the world, including an estimated 90% of the biodiversity found within the UK and Territories combined. Funding from the Overseas Territories Environment Programme plays a crucial role in ensuring that these highly valuable natural resources are protected for the future.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the future of the Overseas Territories Environment Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: In the White Paper on the Overseas Territories, the Government committed to delivering co-ordinated support on Overseas Territories natural environment issues and to developing with the Territories a more strategic approach to managing their rich environmental assets.
	In response to these commitments, on 17 October the Minister for the Environment launched the new ‘Darwin Plus' Fund, see following link:
	http://darwin.defra.gov.uk/news/2012-10/darwin-plus/
	For the current round of funding approximately £2 million is available.
	In addition to the new Fund, and in line with the more strategic approach, the Department is also rolling out its stakeholder-led Environmental Mainstreaming initiative. The initiative (which builds on existing structures such as the Environment Charters) has already been successfully deployed in the British Virgin Islands and in the Falkland Islands.

Burma

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the treatment of the Rohingya peoples in Burma.

Hugo Swire: I have received disturbing reports of further outbreaks of clashes in Rakhine State in western Burma between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims.
	The latest outbreaks of inter-communal violence in Rakhine State seem to be the most serious since the initial violence in June and, according to reports, have left several thousand people homeless and resulted in an unverified number of casualties.
	I issued a statement on 24 October which called for an immediate end to the violence. I further urged the Government to take all necessary action to protect civilians and to grant full humanitarian access to the areas affected as soon as possible. In a subsequent statement of 28 October, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), again called on all parties to cease the violence and for the Burmese authorities to take all necessary measures to guarantee security in the region.

Cayman Islands

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has had any discussions with the Government of the Cayman Islands on the Cayman Turtle Farm since 2007.

Mark Simmonds: Responsibility for the Cayman Turtle Farm rests with the Cayman Islands Government. According to our records, we have not had formal discussions with the Cayman Islands Government about the Turtle Farm during the period referenced.
	We are aware that the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has conducted an investigation into the Turtle Farm and that it has recently made its findings public. The British Government place great importance on conserving the biodiversity of the Overseas Territories and take seriously reports of animal cruelty throughout the world. We therefore welcome the work that non-governmental organisations such as WSPA undertake in support of international animal welfare issues.
	We understand the farm has carried out a review of its operations and found no basis for WSPA's allegations. The farm itself has ordered that an independent assessment take place in December. We encourage WSPA, the management of the farm and the Cayman Islands Government to continue to engage constructively.

Cayman Islands

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the capacity of the Cayman Islands Government to implement the measures set out in the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility signed by the UK and Cayman Islands Governments for improving the performance of (a) the Cayman Turtle Farm and (b) its other government companies and statutory authorities.

Mark Simmonds: The Framework for Fiscal Responsibility was signed by the UK Government and the Government of the Cayman Islands in November 2011. The framework includes commitments by the Cayman Islands Government to put value for money considerations at the heart of the management of the public sector and deliver improved financial management and planning across the Caymanian public sector. This includes government companies and statutory authorities such as the Cayman Turtle Farm.
	Premier Bush has committed to taking forward the implementation of the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility and the UK Government are committed to ensuring it continues to be rolled out effectively.

Cleaning Services

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to require all cleaning contracts held by his Department to stipulate that the cleaning products used and their ingredients should not have been tested on animals.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office policy in relation to cleaning products or ingredients of cleaning products is to avoid animal testing unless it is mandated by legal requirement. Products tested on animals would be used only within the definition of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances (REACH) set up to protect human health and the environment.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the recent UN report by Navanethem Pillay, UN Commissioner on Human Rights, on the M23 movement in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: We welcomed the report from the UN Commissioner on Human Rights. We agree with Ms Pillay that every effort must be made to hold perpetrators of human rights violations accountable. To that end we will consider which of those named could be listed under the Democratic Republic of Congo sanctions regime, in addition to those already on the list. We condemn all human rights abuses wherever and by whoever they are committed.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Rwandan counterpart on the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mark Simmonds: The situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the reports of Rwandan support for the M23 rebels remain matters of serious concern for the UK. We continue to raise our concerns with the Rwandan Government at the highest level. I did so when I met the Foreign Minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, at the United Nations General Assembly on 26 September. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), also did so when he spoke to Ms Mushikiwabo on 29 September. Our high commissioner in Kigali continues to raise the UK's concerns about the conflict with a range of senior Rwandan Government figures.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his American counterpart on the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mark Simmonds: I discussed the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo with US Assistant Secretary Carson in the margin of the UN General Assembly at the end of September. In addition, senior Foreign Office officials and our Posts in Kinshasa, Washington and UKMIS New York are in regular contact with their US colleagues in order to exchange information and co-ordinate our efforts in resolving the current crisis.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on recent attacks on civilians committed by the M23 movement in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: There has been a lull in fighting since August but we continue to receive reports from the UN and non-governmental organisations on the ground that M23 has attacked civilians. It is clearly unacceptable that the ordinary people of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, who have already suffered so much, should have to experience yet more threats to their safety.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on recent civil unrest in the town of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: We are deeply concerned by reports of civil unrest and attacks on civilians in Goma, particularly given its importance as a key town in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The problems peaked in late September. Since then the DRC army and police and MONUSCO have stepped up patrols. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has held with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo concerning human rights abuses in the east of that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: I am concerned about cases in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and am quite clear that they must stop and that perpetrators must be brought to justice. We want to work for a long-term resolution to the insecurity in the eastern DRC as a key step towards addressing human rights abuses there. I set out my position clearly at the High- Level Meeting on DRC at the UN General Assembly on 27 September, and in a meeting with Foreign Minister Tshibanda on 26 September in New York. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), met the DRC Foreign Minister in London on 4 September. Our embassy in Kinshasa has regular meetings and discussions with the DRC Government.
	As part of our efforts to tackle the causes of human rights abuses, the Foreign Secretary has recently launched an initiative on the prevention of sexual violence in conflict. The initiative will support the UN and civil society and will help other countries develop their capabilities to prevent and investigate these terrible crimes. The UK will use our presidency of the G8 to secure commitments from others to tackling this issue.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Rwanda concerning the operation of Rwandan armed and irregular forces in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mark Simmonds: The situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the reports of Rwandan support for the M23 rebels remain matters of serious concern for the UK. We continue to raise these concerns with the Rwandan Government at the highest level. I did so when I met the Foreign Minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, at the United Nations General Assembly on 26 September. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), also did so when he spoke to Ms Mushikiwabo on 29 September. Our high commissioner in Kigali continues to raise the UK's concerns about the conflict with a range of senior Rwandan Government figures.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Uganda concerning their relations with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and military activity around the DRC-Uganda border.

Mark Simmonds: Britain is working with regional and international partners to break the cycle of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. We recognise Uganda's leadership of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in seeking a resolution. We also support UN efforts to investigate allegations of outside interference and support for the M23 militia. I raised these points with the Ugandan Foreign and Defence Ministers on 26 September in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.

Ethiopia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Ethiopian counterpart on the human rights situation in Ethiopia.

Mark Simmonds: We have consistently raised our concerns about human rights and the closing of the political space with the Ethiopian Government, including most recently during my meeting with Acting Foreign Minister Berhane on 28 September. We will continue to pursue an open and honest dialogue with Ethiopia on these issues.

EU Budget

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on negotiations on the EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-20.

David Lidington: I have discussed the Multiannual Financial Framework with EU counterparts at regular General Affairs Council meetings in Brussels, most recently on 16 October. I am in regular contact with all of my EU counterparts and the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is raised regularly in the course of my bilateral meetings, including my recent visits to Berlin (16-17 October), Rome (22-23 October), Warsaw (23-24 October) and Madrid (26-28 October). On 16 October, as well as reiterating the case for the UK rebate, I re-emphasised the position of the UK, which is shared by other like-minded budget disciplined member states: that the MFF needs to reflect the tough consolidation efforts being made by member states; that there needs to be substantial reductions to administrative costs; and that the effectiveness and value for money of all EU spending must be improved.

EU Budget

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his German counterpart on negotiations on the EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-20.

David Lidington: I visited Berlin on 16-17 October and held constructive discussions on the Multiannual Financial Framework with Foreign Ministry Minister of State Link and with senior members of the Chancellery and the Finance Ministry. I set out the UK's position, that the next Multiannual Financial Framework must see a real freeze in payments. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), likewise recently met with Foreign Minister Westerwelle, on 23 October. I look forward to further discussions in due course and to reaching an agreement soon on the next Multiannual Financial Framework.

Henderson Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made with the Henderson Island rat eradication programme.

Mark Simmonds: A team from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds visited Henderson Island in May and confirmed that a population of rats unfortunately persists on the island following last year's eradication exercise. A thorough review of the project is ongoing, with the report due soon, but there are a number of factors which can affect the success of an operation and, unfortunately, no island eradication operation can be guaranteed to succeed. The UK Government will continue working with the Territory and partner organisations to protect the environment and biodiversity of these internationally important islands.

Horn of Africa

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to work with multilateral organisations to combat terrorism and violent extremism in the Horn of Africa.

Alistair Burt: The UK is committed to working with a range of multilateral organisations in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in the Horn of Africa. In particular, the UK has worked closely with the EU and member states to develop a comprehensive EU Horn of Africa Security Strategy, which aims to strengthen respect for the rule of law and human rights in work to counter terrorism in the region and support capacity building work with law enforcement agencies on counter terrorist financing and on counter radicalisation. The UK also supports work by the Global Counter Terrorism Forum, specifically through the Horn of Africa Working Group (which is co-Chaired by the EU and Turkey). More widely, through its chairmanship of the London Conference on Somalia in February this year, the UK has played a leading role in placing the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in the Horn of Africa at the heart of the international agenda.

Ilois: Resettlement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to facilitate the return of former Chagos Islanders to the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Mark Simmonds: No steps have been taken to facilitate the permanent return of Chagossians. The British Government believe the arguments against resettlement, including in relation to feasibility and defence security, are clear and compelling.
	We continue to organise visits by Chagossians to the British Indian Ocean Territory; 18 will visit from 30 October to 7 November this year. Chagossians arc also taking part in scientific and environmental visits.

Ilois: Resettlement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on legal advice relating to the Chagos Islands in the last 12 months.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has spent a total of £164,470.18 on legal advice relating to the British Indian Ocean Territory between November 2011 and October 2012.

Iraq

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made on the effect of the decision to close the British consulate in Basra on the UK's commercial interests in the region.

Alistair Burt: The British Government have reviewed our network in Iraq and believe that the changes announced by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and set out in the written ministerial statement, 16 October 2012, Official Report, columns 17-19WS, are the best way to support British commercial interests in Basra and southern Iraq.

Middle East

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in the Sinai peninsula.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned about the security situation in the Sinai. The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), have discussed this with President Mursi. We welcome his commitment to address the situation by asserting greater control over the peninsula, and we have offered the UK's support to examine how the underlying causes of instability might be tackled.
	I issued a statement on 7 August condemning attacks at the Rafah border on 5 August, welcoming President Mursi's commitment to addressing security in the Sinai, and urging Egypt and Israel to work together to find solutions to the threats that affect them both.

Piracy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to reduce the levels of maritime piracy off the coast of Eritrea;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to reduce the levels of maritime piracy off the coast of Yemen.

Alistair Burt: Piracy is an affront to the rule of international law. Britain and regional partners are committed to breaking the piracy business cycle and we speak regularly with our international partners about this.
	Piracy off the coast of both Yemen and Eritrea originates in Somalia. The Government continue to provide support to the multi-national naval operations off the coast of Somalia, for example the Operational Commander and Headquarters for the EU’s counter-piracy operation; and an asset to the Combined Maritime Forces throughout 2012, for counter-piracy tasking as part of the force's wider operation.
	These measures are having an impact. Piracy attacks are down by 65% over the last 12 months and, whereas there were 47 hijackings in 2010, there have been only five so far this year.
	The Government also continue to support regional maritime capacity building projects in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa.
	For a more detailed response on all that the UK is doing to reduce the levels of maritime piracy off the Somali coast, I refer my hon. Friend to our response to the Foreign Affairs Committee report into piracy off the coast of Somalia, published on 19 March 2012.

Piracy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to reduce the levels of maritime piracy off the Somali coast.

Alistair Burt: Piracy is an affront to the rule of international law. Britain and regional partners are committed to breaking the piracy business cycle and we speak regularly with our international partners about this.
	The Government continue to provide support to the multi-national naval operations off the coast of Somalia, for example the Operational Commander and Headquarters for the EU's counter-piracy operation; and an asset to the Combined Maritime Forces throughout 2012, for counter-piracy tasking as part of the force's wider operation.
	These measures are having an impact. Piracy attacks are down by 65% over the last 12 months and, whereas there were 47 hijackings in 2010, there have been only five so far this year.
	The Government also continue to support regional maritime capacity building projects in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa.
	For a more detailed response on all that the UK is doing to reduce the levels of maritime piracy off the Somali coast, I refer my hon. Friend to our response to the Foreign Affairs Committee report into piracy off the coast of Somalia, published on 19 March 2012.

Piracy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens have been captured by pirates in the last five years.

Alistair Burt: Five British nationals have been captured by pirates in the last five years:
	two in 2008;
	two in 2009, and
	one in 2012.

Pitcairn Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to improve access and transport to Pitcairn Island.

Mark Simmonds: Since 2009 we have improved access to Pitcairn by providing a regular shipping service with the charter of the MV Claymore II. The service is subsidised by the British Government and provides for eight sailings a year between Pitcairn and Mangareva carrying passengers and four journeys carrying cargo and supplies direct to and from New Zealand. Work is also progressing on a project to enhance access through construction of an alternate harbour which would make the landing of passengers and supplies easier and safer in times of poor sea conditions.

Pitcairn Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials from his Department have visited Pitcairn Island in each of the last five years.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office maintains a permanent presence on Pitcairn in the form of the Governor's Representative. In addition, officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regularly travel to Pitcairn and the New Zealand-based Governor and Deputy Governor normally visit on an annual basis. The Deputy Governor visited Pitcairn in August (2012) and officials from Overseas Territories Directorate travelled to Pitcairn in 2007 and 2011. The Governor was last on the island in September 2010 and plans to visit again in February/March 2013.

Pitcairn Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote sustainable tourism in Pitcairn Island.

Mark Simmonds: The British Government are working with the Pitcairn authorities to increase tourism by funding the Pitcairn Tourism Co-ordinator position, and the work that she is doing to promote the island to visitors. The Governor hosts Pitcairn promotional events in New Zealand (and more recently in the Cook Islands) and UK Government funding also provides the regular shipping service to the island, which is used by visitors. In addition, work is progressing on a project to provide an alternate harbour to make the landing of tourists (particularly from cruise ships), as well as islanders and supplies, easier and safer. All Pitcairn tourism-related work is based on the principle of sustainability.

Rwanda

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the UK's relationship with Rwanda; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: The Prime Minister gave an assessment of the UK's relationship on 17 October during Prime Minister's questions when he said:
	“Rwanda has been, and continues to be, a success story of a country that has gone from genocide and disaster to being a role model for development and lifting people out of poverty in Africa. I am proud of the fact that the last Government, and this Government, have continued to invest in that success. But I am equally clear that we should be very frank and firm with President Kagame and the Rwandan regime that we do not accept that they should be supporting militias in the Congo or elsewhere. I have raised that issue personally with the President, but I continue to believe that investing in Rwanda's success, as one of those countries in Africa that is showing that the cycle of poverty can be broken and that conditions for its people can be improved, is something we are right to do”.

Somaliland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials from his Department are currently stationed in Somaliland.

Mark Simmonds: UK officials visit and stay at the office in Hargeisa for short periods in order to meet officials and business people as well as to implement our objectives in Somaliland. Additionally, we have two locally engaged staff permanently based at the office who work on projects and political work.

Somaliland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the UK's relationship with Somaliland; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: The UK places great value on its relationship with Somaliland. We are able to co-operate on many issues, including governance and piracy. The UK Government have committed up to £95 million in development assistance to Somaliland over the next four years. With our office in Hargeisa now open, we look forward to building on this support. Somaliland has made admirable progress in building relative stability in a troubled region—we believe Somaliland can play an important role in enhancing security, prosperity and development in the Horn of Africa.

South Sudan

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 7 September 2012, Official Report, column 471W, on South Sudan, on the oil pipeline project in South Sudan, what support the Government are offering to the South Sudan Government to establish an independent pipeline to Port Lamu.

Mark Simmonds: We have offered no assistance to the Government of South Sudan in relation to a pipeline to Port Lamu but have advised them to seek expert advice in evaluating the case for such a project.

Syria

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice he has received from his Department on the legal status of Palestinian refugees entering (a) Jordan and (b) Lebanon in order to seek refuge from the violence in Syria.

Alistair Burt: An individual's legal status will depend on their particular circumstances. We would expect Jordan and Lebanon to treat Palestinian refugees in accordance with international human rights norms.
	We remain committed to supporting the efforts of Lebanon, Jordan and other neighbouring countries in their assistance to those affected by the Syria violence. The UK remains one of the largest donors to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Tristan da Cunha

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the damage caused by the 2011 Petrel Bay oil slick on Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha.

Mark Simmonds: It is too early to say definitively what the full long-term effects of the MV Oliva sinking will be on marine and terrestrial habitats and biodiversity. The Tristan da Cunha authorities are working with partner environmental organisations on a programme of close monitoring. The indications so far are positive for a return to normality.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the upcoming national elections in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: Since the UK Government's announcement on 12 June that elections will be held on 9 November, we have actively supported the interim Government in the Turks and Caicos Islands, led by the Governor, to prepare for elections which are free and fair and which are held to the highest possible international standards.
	The UK Government have funded a number of projects to support this and will fund an election observer mission arranged by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (UK), which includes the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Thomas Docherty), my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), an MP from Gibraltar and five observers from the Caribbean region. I gave details of other projects in my answer of 19 October 2012, Official Report, column 558W.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress with the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team investigation in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Mark Simmonds: Further to the reply from my hon. Friend the Member for North West Norfolk (Mr Bellingham), the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on 2 July 2012, Official Report, column 485W, the Supreme Court of the Turks and Caicos Islands has rescheduled the date of the Plea and Directions hearing to 12 November.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the economic situation in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Mark Simmonds: In a statement on 12 September, the Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands gave an upbeat assessment of the economy of the Turks and Caicos Islands, demonstrated for example by the GDP expansion of 4.1% in 2011, the improved fiscal position and show that the economy will also grow this year.
	A new Turks and Caicos Islands investment policy has now launched, designed to underpin this growth and keep the Turks and Caicos Islands on a sustainable path into the future.
	On 15 October, the Turks and Caicos Islands Government announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding with the developers of a new US$70 million hotel, casino and marina complex. Further announcements on other development opportunities are also expected shortly. We believe that the interim Government have thus put the Turks and Caicos Islands on the right path to economic growth in advance of elections on 9 November.

World War II: Military Decorations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will consider waiving the usual five-year criterion to allow veterans of the Second World War to receive the Ushakov Medal commemorating their contribution to the war effort through participation in Arctic Convoy missions.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) cannot waive the five-year rule in this or any other case. Only the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee), advises HM the Queen in all matters relating to honours and awards which can put forward an exception to these rules.
	We very much appreciate the Russian Government's wish to recognise the brave and valuable service of the Arctic Convoy veterans. In light of this, in 1994 an exception to the five-year rule was made to allow Arctic Convoy veterans to receive the Russian 40th Anniversary of Victory Medal. When this exception was made, it was intended, and announced, that no further exceptions would be made. Therefore, there are no plans to seek an additional exception to the rules to give permission for the Ushakov medal to be accepted for the same service.

World War II: Military Decorations

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will reconsider the decision by his Department to refuse to allow the remaining Arctic Convoy survivors to receive the Medal of Ushakov.

Mark Simmonds: An exception to the British rules on the acceptance of foreign awards has already been made to allow these brave veterans permission to accept and wear the Russian 40th Anniversary of Victory medal for their service to Russia during the Arctic Convoys. When this exception was made, it was intended, and announced, that no further exceptions would be made. There are therefore no plans to seek an additional exception to the rules to give permission for the Ushakov medal to be accepted for the same service.

Zimbabwe

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Zimbabwean authorities regarding cases of land belonging to white farmers being seized without compensation payment awards being made.

Mark Simmonds: I strongly condemn illegal farm and property seizures in Zimbabwe, which contravene the Southern African Development Community (SADC) ruling of November 2008 as well as the terms of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) and demonstrate a lack of respect for the rule of law. The British embassy in Harare is in regular contact with farming organisations in Zimbabwe. The embassy, as well as affected British nationals, continues to bring such issues to the attention of the Zimbabwean Government.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which armoured vehicles are currently (a) deployed and (b) available to service personnel in Afghanistan.

Andrew Murrison: The following table lists the types of armoured vehicles (those which have armoured troop carrying capacity as one of their primary roles) currently deployed in Afghanistan, all of which are available to service personnel dependent on their role and requirements.
	Type of vehicle
	Warrior
	Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)
	Warthog
	Mastiff
	Ridgback
	Jackal
	Coyote
	Husky
	Foxhound
	Civilian Armoured Vehicles
	Wolfhound
	Buffalo

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many Foxhound vehicles are currently awaiting repair in Afghanistan;
	(2)  how many Foxhound vehicles operated by the armed forces have been (a) based and (b) available for operations in Afghanistan in each month of 2012 to date.

Andrew Murrison: We do not comment on the number of vehicles deployed or available for operations in Afghanistan. I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Libya

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2012, Official Report, column 615W, on Libya: military intervention, how many of the Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone missiles fired during Operation Ellamy were deployed from Tornado aircraft.

Andrew Murrison: During Operation Ellamy last year, UK forces employed around 230 Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone missiles. All of these were employed from Tornado aircraft.

Libya

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2012, Official Report, column 615W, on Libya: military intervention, what the average cost was of a return sortie from RAF Marham to Libyan airspace; and which aircraft provided the mid-air refuelling.

Andrew Murrison: The cost of an average seven and a half hour Tornado sortie from RAF Marham to Libya was approximately £37,000. This figure is calculated using standard marginal flying hour costs and rounded to the nearest thousand.
	The types of air-to-air refuelling aircraft that supported sorties from RAF Marham varied for each individual mission but were made up of a mixture of TriStar and VC10 aircraft either operating from RAF Brize Norton or deployed at Trapani, Italy.

Military Exercises

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of flights in Operation United Protector were flown from the French carrier Charles de Gaulle.

Andrew Murrison: During Operation Ellamy last year, no UK sorties were flown from the French carrier Charles de Gaulle.
	The UK does not comment on the operational details of allied nations' operations, which are a matter for the Governments concerned.

Nuclear Submarines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are in place to prevent fires on nuclear submarines.

Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the then Minister responsible for defence equipment, support and technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff) on 19 March 2012, Official Report, columns 465-66W, to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson).

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of international state militaries which own unmanned aerial vehicles (a) in total and (b) with missile capacity.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence assesses that there are approximately 80 states whose armed forces operate an unmanned air vehicle capability. Of these, less than a dozen operate systems which have the capacity to be armed with missiles or other munitions.

US Airbases

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the names are of the US Commander and the RAF Liaison Officer at (a) NSA Menwith Hill, (b) USAF Lakenheath, (c) USAF Mildenhall, (d) USAF Feltwell, (e) USAF Molesworth, (f) USAF Fairford, (g) USAF Croughton, (h) USAF Barford St John and (i) USAF St Mawgan.

Andrew Robathan: The names of the US Base Commanders and RAF Commanders based at the stations listed are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Name Position Base 
			 Colonel Hamilton US Base Commander RAF Barford St John, RAF Croughton and RAF Fairford(1) 
			 Squadron Leader Still RAF Commander (1)— 
			    
			 Colonel Robinson US Base Commander RAF Lakenheath and RAF Feltwell(1) 
			 Squadron Leader Neild RAF Commander (1)— 
			    
			 Colonel Gilmore US Base Commander RAF Menwith Hill(1) 
			 Squadron Leader Currie RAF Commander (1)— 
			    
			 Colonel Kulas US Base Commander RAF Mildenhall(1) 
			 Squadron Leader Fryer RAF Commander (1)— 
			    
			 Colonel Reiner US Base Commander RAF Molesworth(1) 
			 Squadron Leader Wood RAF Commander (1)— 
			 (1) Indicates brace. 
		
	
	RAF St Mawgan is not a US Visiting Force Base.

Veterans: Grace and Favour Housing

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many former military personnel have been provided with grace and favour homes; at what cost to the public purse such accommodation is funded; and which Department funds such accommodation.

Mark Francois: It is not a requirement for former military personnel to provide the Ministry of Defence (MOD) with information pertaining to their accommodation arrangements, including any ‘grace and favour' homes, and indeed it is a matter between the employer and employee. As such, the MOD does not hold specific information on such arrangements. The MOD does not fund any grace and favour accommodation for former military personnel.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Billing

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average time taken by his Department to settle invoices to external suppliers or contractors was in each of the last three financial years.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change's policy on prompt payment is advised by the Prompt Payment Code:
	http://www.promptpaymentcode.org.uk/
	Statistics on the average time taken to settle correctly submitted invoices by external suppliers is published on the DECC website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/about/procurement/prompt_pay/prompt_pay.aspx

Cleaning Services

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy to require all cleaning contracts held by his Department to stipulate that the cleaning products used and their ingredients should not have been tested on animals.

Gregory Barker: Cleaning is provided on core DECC's estate through shared facilities management contracts with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). In the case of the DEFRA contract, all cleaning products used comply with Government Buying Standards for sustainable procurement, although it cannot be confirmed that products tested on animals are excluded. In the case of the BIS contract, the supplier has confirmed that the cleaning products used have not been tested on animals.

Electricity

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration he has given to setting a target date to decarbonise electricity in the Energy Bill.

Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to meeting our statutory carbon budgets, as set out in the 2008 Climate Change Act. Analysis published in the December 2011 Carbon Plan suggests that the most cost-effective paths to deliver the 2050 target require the electricity sector to be largely decarbonised during the 2030s.
	The Department is currently undertaking further work on the issue of decarbonisation of the power sector ahead of the progression of the Energy Bill. In particular, careful consideration is being given to all the recommendations received from the Energy and Climate Change Committee, including those related to the level of grid decarbonisation.
	We will be providing greater clarity on the direction of travel through the electricity market reforms.

Energy: Conservation

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration he has given to continuing the (a) Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and (b) Community Energy Saving Programme until Green Deal finance is fully operational.

Gregory Barker: The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and the Community Energy Saving Programme both end on 31 December this year. The Government have previously stated that we have no intention of extending the deadline for completion of either scheme.
	Green Deal providers will be able to offer Green Deal plans to consumers from 28 January 2013.

Energy: Conservation

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment his Department has made of its continuing obligations under the Community Energy Saving Programme and the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme.

Gregory Barker: Ofgem is responsible for the administration of both the Community Energy Saving Programme and the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and published its most recent updates on delivery of the schemes on 24 September 2012.
	Both the schemes will end on 31 December 2012.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent work has been done by the Monitoring Group on Coal Health Claims; and what the remit of the group is.

John Hayes: The terms of reference of the Coal Health Claims Monitoring Groups were:
	“to review on a regular and transparent basis progress on the implementation of the Handling Agreement on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Vibration White Finger (VWF) so that the communities concerned can be confident that everything possible is being done to ensure the sensitive, rapid and effective delivery of compensation to ex-miners”.
	The VWF scheme was formally closed by the presiding judge on 1 May 2009 and the COPD scheme was formally concluded by the presiding judge on 13 December 2010. All compensation claims under the schemes have now been dealt with, and the role of the Monitoring Groups has therefore concluded.

Mobile Phones

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to his Department.

Gregory Barker: DECC uses the Government Procurement Service (GPS) framework, which is with Vodafone, for all mobile telephony and mobile data services.

Off-grid Households

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of off-grid households in (a) East Hampshire constituency, (b) East Hampshire District, (c) Hampshire county and (d) England.

John Hayes: The exact number of households who are off the gas grid is not held centrally.
	Estimates have been produced based on information held from two administrative sources; these are the Gemserv database on the location of electricity meters, and data from xoserve and independent gas transporters on the location of gas meters. Subtracting the number of gas meters from the number of electricity meters produces a broad estimate of the number of off-grid properties. However, some households can have more than one electricity meter associated with their property (for instance, a supply for communal facilities such as stairwell lighting or a lift). Additionally, the standard gas industry definition of domestic use uses a consumption threshold, with any consumer using less than 73,200 kWh of gas per year being classed as a domestic user; it is estimated that—Great Britain wide—this definition allocates around 2 million small business users as domestic. Furthermore, a small number of meters (less than one third of 1%) do not have sufficient information associated with them to be able to allocate them to a specific area. The underlying data on the number of gas and electricity meters in each local authority are available on the Department’s website at:
	www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/regional/electricity/electricity.aspx
	www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/regional/gas/gas.aspx
	The following table shows, for 2010, the number of domestic electricity meter points, the number of gas meter points where consumption was less than 73,200 kWh, and the difference between the two figures, which forms an estimate of the number of households off the gas grid in East Hampshire, Hampshire county and England. The number of installed meters by parliamentary constituency level is not currently available, and as such this analysis cannot be produced for parliamentary constituencies.
	
		
			 Number of estimated off-grid households in East Hampshire, Hampshire county and England, 2010 
			 Local administrative unit code Local authority area Domestic electricity meters (thousand) Gas meters recording less than 73,200 kWh (thousand) Difference (thousand) 
			 24UB Basingstoke and Deane 72.1 59.0 13.2 
			 24UC East Hampshire 49.9 39.8 10.1 
			 24UD Eastleigh 52.5 48.6 3.9 
			 24UE Fareham 48.0 44.7 3.4 
			 24UF Gosport 36.6 31.5 5.2 
			 24UG Hart 36.8 33.2 3.6 
			 24UH Havant 53.6 48.8 4.8 
			 24UJ New Forest 80.9 68.5 12.5 
			 00MR Portsmouth 88.9 78.2 10.7 
			 24UL Rushmoor 37.7 34.2 3.5 
			 0OMS Southampton 103.5 80.8 22.6 
			 24UN Test Valley 50.1 34.6 15.5 
			 24UP Winchester 49.4 37.8 11.6 
			  Total Hampshire 760.0 639.7 120.6 
			  Total England 23,024.8 19,683.3 3,341.9

Renewable Energy: Heating

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to introduce quality, safety and reliability guarantees to ensure that heat pump installations perform as intended.

Gregory Barker: Performance standards, warranties and guarantees of quality are key themes in the microgeneration strategy published last year. The microgeneration industry, with support from the Department, is taking that work forward. Heat pump manufacturers and the microgeneration certification scheme (MCS) have set robust technical requirements for heat pumps, drawing on international and European standards. In September last year, MCS introduced improved standards for heat pumps, which are now in force.
	In addition, technical standards for heating-related technologies are being set under the European Directive on Eco-design of Energy Related Products (2009/125/EC). Other legislation, such as the Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC), applies minimum standards for heat pumps to be regarded as renewable energy in the context of that directive.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy that the delivered coefficient of performance of air source heat pumps as installed should be set sufficiently high to qualify the pumps for subsidy through the renewable heat incentive and should have lower carbon footprints than any alternative fossil fuel source of heating.

Gregory Barker: The Government will ensure that requirements for air source heat pumps in the RHI are consistent with the requirements of the EU Renewable Energy Directive (2009).
	DECC is currently consulting on this matter in the consultations on proposals for a domestic RHI and the extension of the non-domestic RHI. The Department plans to respond to these consultations in early 2013, and the response will also take into account the EUs guidance on this matter, which is due to be published in January 2013.

Sickness Absence

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on how many days on average staff of his Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last 12 months.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) collects and records data on its staff who are absent from work due to ill health on a quarterly basis. The data for the last four quarters, which show the average working days lost per person, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Quarter ending: 
			  31 December 2011 31 March 2012 30 June 2012 30 September 2012 
			 AO 8.6 7.4 8.2 6.3 
			 EO 8.6 7.5 8.3 5.2 
			 HEO 4.2 3.8 3.8 3.2 
			 SEO 4 3.6 4.2 3.5 
			 Grade 7 2.8 2.3 2.2 2.1 
			 Grade 6 1.7 1.8 2.2 2.4 
			 SCS 3.5 2.4 1.7 0.8 
			 DECC 4.1 3.6 3.6 3 
		
	
	Each quarter represents data over the preceding 12 months.

Water Power

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he has made on the building of a marine energy park at Devonport.

Gregory Barker: A marine energy park is a collaborative partnership between local government, local enterprise partnerships, regional academic, research and testing centres and a range of industry expertise identified within a geographic region.
	The first marine energy park was launched in January 2012 in the South West of England. It extends from Bristol through to Cornwall to as far as the Isles of Scilly and includes Devonport, the Wave Hub in Cornwall and the Fab-Test nursery site in Falmouth. With the clustering of such expertise in the region, the expectation is that the park will create a positive business environment that will foster business collaboration, attract investment and accelerate the commercial development of the marine energy sector in the South West.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spends annually on education in Bangladesh; and what that money is spent on.

Alan Duncan: The Operational Plan allocation for education in Bangladesh is:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2011-12 30 
			 2012-13 28.7 
			 2013-14 52 
			 2014-15 55 
		
	
	These resources are spent on primary education through programmes which include support to schools, for example:
	infrastructure;
	textbooks;
	teacher training materials;
	technical skills training; and
	English language learning.
	By 2015, it is expected that these programmes will support an additional 500,000 girls and boys to complete primary education.

Cleaning Services

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to require all cleaning contracts held with her Department to stipulate that the cleaning products used and their ingredients should not have been tested on animals.

Alan Duncan: DFID's two UK staff offices have operated under contract to Mitie Technical Facilities Management (TFM) since December 2010. As part of this contract, Mitie TFM is responsible for the cleaning in both offices. Mitie TFM has advised that it is committed to conducting its procurement activities to meet the highest ethical standards and is compliant with relevant legislation, best practice and Mitie policies.

Rwanda

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid her Department has made available to Rwanda in each of the last five years; and how much such aid was (a) classified as budget support and (b) allocated to dedicated projects.

Justine Greening: The total expenditure of aid from the Department for International Development to Rwanda, including a breakdown by type of aid, is detailed on the departmental website. It is available at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/Aid-Statistics/Statistics-on-International-Development-2011/SID-2011-Tables-Index/
	under Table 14.1: Total DFID Expenditure and GPEX by Recipient Country (Africa) 2006-07 to 2010-11. The figures for 2011-12 have not yet been published.

St Helena

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made of the total cost of the St Helena airport project.

Alan Duncan: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement (WMS) laid on 3 November 2011, Official Report, column 50WS.
	The contract amount referred to in the WMS comprises most of the total estimated cost. We have also allowed for other related expenditure, but it would be inappropriate to release further financial information as this could influence future procurement and negotiations.

St Helena

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent progress has been made with construction of the St Helena airport.

Alan Duncan: Work on the St Helena airport project is progressing well. The project is on schedule and on budget. Initial logistics work undertaken by the contractor is now virtually complete. This work is essential in setting up and supporting a major construction project of this type on a remote island like St Helena. Over the past 11 months, the contractor has established a dedicated shipping service for materials to the island and has transported all major construction equipment to the airport site on Prosperous Bay Plain. To do this the contractor has constructed a temporary wharf in Rupert's Bay, established a regular shipping service from Walvis Bay in Namibia, constructed five temporary fuel tanks to provide 900,000 litres of storage and completed a 14 km haul road to the airport site. Work has now commenced on the permanent works at the airport site.

Syria

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what proportion of the £10 million support allocated to Syrian refugees which was announced in August 2012 has been allocated to assist Palestinian refugees displaced from Syria;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in respect of Palestinian refugees to meet the needs of such refugees displaced from Syria;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the Regional Syria Humanitarian Response Plan of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in response to the Syrian humanitarian crisis.

Alan Duncan: The UK is providing £39.5 million to address the needs of those affected by the violence in Syria, including the £10 million announced in August. £18 million of this total is for those who have fled Syria for neighbouring countries. This includes Palestinian refugees, such as those currently residing in the Cyber City refugee camp in Jordan. In addition to this, the UK provides core support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) totalling £106.5 million from 2012 to 2015.
	The conflict in Syria has exacerbated existing humanitarian needs among Palestinian refugees. UNRWA is playing a vital role in supporting Palestinians in Syria and the region but remains critically underfunded. UNRWA has appealed for US$53.8 million under its Regional Syria Humanitarian Response Plan to assist the 225,000 Palestinians affected by violence in Syria, including those displaced in Jordan and Lebanon. To date, donors have contributed US$16.65 million to the appeal.
	We continue to consider what more we can do to support all those affected by the violence in Syria, including specific help for Palestinian refugees.

Syria

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.

Alan Duncan: As of October 2012, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's (UNRWA's) General Fund had a forecast end-of-year deficit of USD 37.3 million of a total budget for the year of USD 673.8 million. We are concerned about the impact of UNRWA's predicted budget deficit on service delivery. UNRWA, donors and host countries need to work together to put UNRWA's finances on a sustainable basis. We call on all countries to honour their funding commitments to UNRWA. At the same time, UNRWA needs to step up its efforts to improve its planning, delivery of results, and long-term fundraising efforts.
	The UK is already providing core support to UNRWA, totalling £106.5 million from 2012 to 2015. We continue to consider what more we can do to address the needs of those affected by the crisis in Syria, including specific support for Palestinian refugees.

CABINET OFFICE

Billing

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average time taken by his Department to settle invoices to external suppliers or contractors was in each of the last three financial years.

Chloe Smith: The information requested is published each year in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.
	In 2011-12, the Cabinet Office paid 99.5% of valid invoices within 30 days.

Employment

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 848W, on unemployment: statistics, what assessment the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of those included within its definition of employed in its Labour Market Statistics who are unpaid.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 848W, on unemployment: statistics, what assessment the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of those included within its definition of employed in its Labour Market Statistics who are unpaid (125492).
	For the three months ending August 2012, the estimated total number of people classified as in employment on government supported training and employment programmes was 158,000, as derived from the Labour Force Survey. It is not possible to estimate how many of those classified as in employment on government supported training and employment programmes are unpaid. The estimated total number of people in employment on government supported training and employment programmes represents 0.5 per cent of the overall total (29.590 million).
	A separate component within that overall total is “unpaid family workers” which totalled 112,000 during the same period, representing 0.4 per cent of the total in employment. An unpaid family worker is someone working in a business run by another family member, or relative who benefits indirectly from the income generated by that business instead of receiving a wage.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answers of 19 October 2012, Official Report, column 419W, if he will publish the Major Projects Authority report into High Speed 2.

Chloe Smith: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave on 19 October 2012.

Shops: Empty Property

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many shops have been empty in the Newton Abbot constituency in (a) each of the last five years and (b) the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many shops have been empty in the Newton Abbot constituency in (a) each of the last five years and (b)the latest period for which figures are available, (125856)
	We regret that ONS does not hold this information.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Communications: Planning Permission

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what notice under Part 24 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) Order 2001 is required to be given to affected parties prior to the installation of a temporary telecommunications mast.

Nicholas Boles: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 1995 (as amended) enables permitted development in an emergency situation of electronic communications equipment for a period of up to six months.
	This permitted development right is for moveable electronic communications apparatus required for the replacement of unserviceable apparatus. The temporary emergency use is permitted on condition that any apparatus or structure provided is removed from the land at the end of the period and the land restored to its earlier condition. The operator is required to give written notice to the local planning authority of such development as soon as possible after the emergency begins.

Communications: Planning Permission

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for mobile telephone masts, antennae or other infrastructure relating to mobile telephony in national parks have been rejected in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Nicholas Boles: Information on the number of applications for mobile telephone masts, antennae or other infrastructure relating to mobile telephony over the last five years is not centrally available.

Affordable Housing

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the grant per property is for new affordable housing in each region (a) being built and (b) planned for build in the next year.

Mark Prisk: The Homes and Communities Agency's new Affordable Homes Programme covers the years 2011-12 to 2014-15 and providers have agreed grant levels covering the four-year period. The average levels of grant per property in each of the agency's operating areas are as follows:
	
		
			 Homes and Communities Agency operating area Grant per property (£) 
			 East and South East 14,101 
			 London 26,470 
			 Midlands 18,845 
			 North East, Yorkshire and The Humber 21,272 
			 North. West 19,712 
			 South and South West 16,264 
			 Grand total 19,913 
			 Source: Homes and Communities Agency  
		
	
	Funding through the Affordable Homes Programme is mainly for homes for affordable rent and also some social rent and affordable home ownership.

Affordable Housing

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much grant input has been expended to achieve the objective of more affordable housing in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Prisk: In the 2011-2012 financial year, £1.7 billion was expended on the provision of affordable housing through the Homes and Communities Agency’s Affordable Homes Programme.
	I would note that the key metric is the overall level of housing investment. Our 2011-15 Affordable Housing Programme will invest £4.5 billion of taxpayers' money in affordable housing but lever in a further £15 billion of private investment, assisted by innovative schemes like Affordable Rent.
	The National Audit Office's recent report (‘Financial Viability of the Social Housing Sector: Introducing the Affordable Homes Programme’, HC 465, 4 July 2012) observed that:
	“The Department selected the best delivery model open to it... The Department has so far achieved its policy objective to maximise the number of homes delivered within the available grant funding... The Programme was over subscribed which led to the Department raising its target for the number of affordable homes it expects to deliver.”

Affordable Housing

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new tenants have benefited from new provision of affordable housing in the last year.

Mark Prisk: In 2011-12, the most recent year for which data are available, 16,642 social rent and 1,031 affordable rent lettings of newly built or acquired properties were made to tenants whose previous accommodation was not social housing. These data are from the Continuous Recording of Lettings and Sales (CORE), which collects data on new social lettings and tenants.
	The figure provided for social rent lettings includes data supplied by private registered providers and local authorities. However, not all local authorities are currently covered by CORE. Information about affordable rent lettings includes data supplied by private registered providers only and covers the period from September 2011, when providers started to sign contracts with the Homes and Communities Agency to deliver affordable rent properties, to the end of March 2012.
	Overall, delivery of affordable homes through the Homes and Communities Agency, including affordable home ownerships schemes, resulted in 51,665 new affordable homes in 2011-12. Moreover, in the most recent year, the New Homes Bonus has supported the delivery of almost 61,000 new affordable homes.

Arson: Gravesham

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made an estimate of the total cost to the taxpayer and insurance companies of deliberately-started fires in Gravesham constituency in an average recent year.

Brandon Lewis: No estimate has been made as the Department does not collect this information.

Council Tax

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to publish a response to his consultation on localising support for council tax in England; and if he will place all replies to the consultation in the Library .

Brandon Lewis: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 217W.

Council Tax Benefits

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has received legal advice on the (a) potential effects of the announcement of a transition fund on the legality of consultations on council tax benefit reform that were launched before that announcement and (b) potential for future judicial review of individual local authority council tax benefit schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: As the right hon. Member should know, as has been the practice of previous Administrations, the Government do not confirm or deny whether legal advice has been received on any issue.

Electric Cables

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the volume of counterfeit or falsely marked electrical cabling imported into the UK in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 24 October 2012, Official Report, column 887W, to the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson).

European Year of Citizens

Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to support the European Year of Citizens 2013 campaign.

Brandon Lewis: No.

Housing Benefit

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of housing benefit recipients aged under 25 who have (a) been accepted as homeless by a local authority and (b) slept rough in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Prisk: The figures collected by my Department from English local authorities relating to households accepted as homeless and to rough sleepers do not include information on the number of people concerned who are aged under 25 and receiving housing benefit.
	In the absence of underlying data, the Department has not made an estimate of the number of people in these categories.
	We secured an additional £70 million last year to help local agencies prevent and tackle homelessness. This includes the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund to support the national roll-out of No Second Night Out, tackle rough sleeping and protect vital front-line services and the £20 million Single Homelessness Prevention Fund to help ensure single homeless people get access to good housing advice.
	This is on top of the £400 million we are investing for homelessness prevention over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15), which includes £10.8 million to help single people access private rented sector accommodation.

Internet

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answers of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 220W, on internet, and 22 October 2012, Official Report, column 628W, on internet, what assessment he has made of the potential (a) security and (b) productivity implications of his Department's decision not to log departmental internet usage.

Brandon Lewis: The Department implements appropriate security measures on advice from GCHQ to protect our networks and staff. In line with the practice of previous Administrations, it would not be appropriate to comment on these, as public disclosure in itself could undermine such security arrangements.
	As I outlined in my answer of 10 September 2012, Official Report, column 40W, as a matter of common sense, employers will want to ensure that their staff are not inappropriately using computers during working hours; the productivity of individual staff is a matter for departmental line managers.

Local Government Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what amount of Early Intervention Grant his Department expects to receive from the Department for Education in the financial years 2012-13 and 2013-14; how much his Department received in 2010-11 and 2011-12; and for what purposes such funds will be used.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 18 October 2012
	My Department has not received any Early Intervention Grant from the Department for Education for the years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13; the grant was paid directly by the Department of Education to local authorities.
	In April 2013 it is proposed that the Early Intervention Grant is rolled into the Business Rates Retention Scheme. The proposed amount in 2013-14 is £1,726.180 million as announced in the Department's Business Rates Retention technical consultation, dated July 2012, a copy of which can be found on the Department's website. On transfer into the Business Rate Retention Scheme, the visibility of early intervention resources will be maintained. The Government are committed to investing at the earliest stage in children's lives, and effective early intervention does rely on local authorities and communities working together to make the most effective and efficient use of the funding resources available and directing it to the needs of those communities.

Non-domestic Rates

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have used section 69 of the Localism Act 2011 to give discretionary relief on non-domestic rates.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally. The business rate discounts in the new enterprise zones are being delivered through these Localism Act powers.

Non-domestic Rates

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was raised in business rates in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much he expects to raise through business rates in 2012-13.

Brandon Lewis: The net rate yield of national non-domestic rates in England in the years 2010-11 to 2012-13 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Net rate yield 
			  £ million 
			 2010-11 19,276 
			 2011-12 21,034 
			 2012-13 (forecast) 21,683 
		
	
	Data for 2010-11 and 2011-12 for the local list are from NNDR3 forms submitted to DCLG by all billing authorities in England. Data for 2011-12 have not yet been certified by auditors. Data for 2012-13 for the local list are from NNDR1 forms submitted to DCLG by all billing authorities in England.

Parish Councils: Complaints

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms exist to deal with individual complaints relating to parish councils which fall outside the remit of the Local Government Ombudsman.

Brandon Lewis: Parish councils can put in place their own mechanisms for handling complaints, having regard to a model code of practice produced by the National Association of Local Councils. In addition, every elector has the right to raise any matter affecting parish business at the annual parish meeting, and a group of electors has the power to call for a poll on any issue which affects the parish.
	Also, where electors consider there has been a possible waste or inefficiency or think that their council has spent money unlawfully, they can refer a complaint to their local district auditor.

Planning Permission

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government under which criteria he will call in a planning application under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Nicholas Boles: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement of 26 October 2012, Official Report, column 72-73WS, which sets out the coalition Government's policy on the call in of planning applications by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Planning Permission

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the powers of local planning authorities to control the number of (a) betting shops and (b) payday lenders in their areas under planning law;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to give local planning authorities more power to refuse planning applications made by pay day lenders; and if he will make a statement.

Nicholas Boles: Local authorities have a range of planning powers available to tackle any localised problems. These can be used to target specific areas where the cumulative impact from the operation of premises becomes unacceptable and harms local amenity.
	Taken together with powers under the Gambling Act to tackle individual premises which breach the licensing objectives, councils have a powerful set of tools with which to address any local problems where they arise.
	Notwithstanding, my Department published in July a consultation paper on planning, which asked whether there is a case for making further changes to the broader change of use regime. We are now carefully considering the responses to that consultation.

JUSTICE

Community Orders

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were placed on a community order in England and Wales who had a history 
	(1)  of being taken into care in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  of truanting from school in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  of having been excluded from school in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(4)  of unemployment in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: Data held centrally on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database do not include the offender's education and employment history. In some instances, this detailed information may be held on individual case files which, due to their size and complexity, are not reported to Justice Statistics Analytical Services.
	The Offender Management Community Cohort Study (OMCCS) includes information on whether offenders on Community Orders had been in care, and whether they had been unemployed. The results from this study are planned for publication during 2013.

Convictions

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what monitoring his Department is undertaking of convictions for criminal activity in English and Welsh courts where joint enterprise has been the basis of the conviction.

Damian Green: Statistics on the number of convictions under the law on joint enterprise are not held centrally. Ministry of Justice officials are in continued discussion with their counterparts at the Attorney-General's Office and the Crown Prosecution Service on the practicalities of collecting such data. We will write formally to the Justice Committee in due course explaining whether improved data collection is possible.

Debt Collection

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions his Department has had with officials in the Department for Communities and Local Government on the operation of private bailiff firms; and what reports he has received of (a) bailiff firms disregarding local authority guidelines as to their conduct and (b) local authorities not implementing Government guidelines in respect of the conduct of bailiff firms.

Helen Grant: My officials have regular discussions with officials in the Department for Communities and Local Government regarding the use of private bailiff firms by local authorities as part of the ongoing work on bailiff reforms.
	We have not received any direct reports of bailiff firms disregarding local authority guidelines as to their conduct or local authorities not implementing Government guidelines in respect of the conduct of bailiff firms.
	My officials will continue to work with the Department for Communities and Local Government and will contribute to its review of guidance provided to local authorities on the recovery of council tax arrears.

Employment Tribunals Service: Hastings

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the number of employment tribunal cases that have been brought against businesses in (a) Hastings and (b) Hastings and Rye constituency in each year since 2007.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice publishes, annually and quarterly, official statistics on tribunal workloads, including data on national receipts and disposals in the employment tribunals system.
	These published data on new claim receipts for employment tribunals are not broken down by geographical locations. However, it is possible to interrogate Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service's case management systems to produce management information on workloads by reference to, among other criteria, the postcodes of respondent employers in “live” (or recently disposed of) employment tribunal proceedings.
	Save where an appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal is lodged, case records (including electronic case management entries) are archived a year after the point of disposal. Once archived, statistical data are retained but anonymised. Therefore, it is no longer possible to retrieve data by reference to party details, including address details of the respondent employers involved.
	Using management information for the last complete and available reporting period (1 October 2011 to 30 June 2012):
	(a) 15 claims were accepted by the Employment Tribunal Office in Ashford (the office covering the Hastings geographical area) where the address of the respondent was listed as within postcode districts TN34 or TN35 (Hastings); and
	(b) 45 claims were accepted by the Employment Tribunal Office in Ashford where the respondent employer's address was listed in the Hastings and Rye constituency. For the purposes of answering this question, we have assumed that the constituency is coterminous with the postcode districts TN34, TN35, TN37 and TN38. To interrogate the management information available by reference to the exact constituency postcode breakdown could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	Management information for the remainder of the last available 12 month period (July, August and September 2012) cannot be released under official statistics protocols until data on 2012-13 Quarter 2 are published on 17 January 2013.

Freedom of Information Act 2000

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on extending the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to include registered providers of social housing; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: We have commenced consultations with more than 200 bodies about the possible extension of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) to any public functions that they perform. We also intend to consult with registered providers of social housing on whether to extend the scope of FOIA to them.
	As the Ministry of Justice's published business plan makes clear, we intend to complete the extension, depending on the outcome of any consultation, of FOIA to these bodies' public functions by spring 2015.

Freedom of Information Act 2000

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department collects on the proportion of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 that were responded to by Government Departments within the statutory timescales in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Helen Grant: Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice in the annual report on Freedom of Information in central Government for 2011 show that of a total of 30,531 non-routine requests received by Departments of State, 90% (27,511) of requests were dealt with ‘in time’ by meeting the deadline or other permitted extension deadline.
	
		
			 Table 1: Percentage of requests meeting deadline by Department in 2011 
			  Percentage of requests “in time” (i.e. meeting deadline or with permitted extension) 
			 Attorney General's Office 99 
			 Cabinet Office 71 
			 Communities and Local Government 94 
			 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 90 
			 Department for Culture, Media and Sport 100 
			 Department for Education 78 
			 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 90 
			 Department for International Development 98 
			 Department for Transport 92 
			 Department for Work and Pensions 96 
			 Department of Energy and Climate Change 91 
			 Department of Health 100 
			 Export Credits Guarantee Department 82 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 94 
			 HM Treasury 98 
			 Home Office 94 
			 Ministry of Defence 81 
			 Ministry of Justice 84 
			 Northern Ireland Office 94 
			 Scotland Office 99 
			 Wales Office 91 
			 Departments of State Total 90 
		
	
	More information on FOI statistics can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/foi/implementation

Latchmere House Prison

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much money the Government received from the sale of HMP Latchmere House.

Jeremy Wright: The site of the former Latchmere House prison is currently on the market and has not yet been sold.

Marriage: Ceremonies

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to eliminate statutory impediments to the holding of outdoor marriage ceremonies.

Helen Grant: The Government currently have no plans to amend the law in relation to outdoor wedding ceremonies.

Payment by Results

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost of extending his Department's payment by results pilots to the whole of England and Wales.

Jeremy Wright: My Department is developing a strategy for extending the principles of payment by results across the offender management system in England and Wales. A range of options are under consideration, each with different financial implications. We intend to make an announcement in the coming weeks, providing more details about our proposals.

Payment by Results

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he intends to proceed with the delivery of probation services on the basis of the payment by results system.

Jeremy Wright: By 2015, we intend to apply the payment by results approach to the majority of rehabilitation work conducted with offenders in the community. This will involve opening up the market for rehabilitation services, as envisaged in the Offender Management Act 2007, where private sector and voluntary sector innovation can help drive improvements. The public sector probation service will continue to have an important role to play in ensuring that the public is protected and the sentence of the court is delivered. It is our intention that our approach will combine the best of the public, private and voluntary sectors.
	We will be announcing detailed proposals soon.

Payment by Results

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost has been of the payment by result pilot projects which the Government have placed on hold in (a) England and (b) the west midlands since commencement of the projects.

Jeremy Wright: I understand that this question relates to the costs of the community-based payment by results pilots that have been under design in conjunction with the Wales and Staffordshire and west midlands probation trusts and which are on hold whilst proposals for the wider application of a payment by results system are being developed.
	The National Offender Management Service has spent approximately £240,000 on legal costs and programme staff recruited to support the development of these pilots. Officials of different grades and disciplines across the National Offender Management Service and the Ministry of Justice have also supported development of the pilots as part of their other duties since 2010, but to quantify the overall cost would be disproportionately expensive.
	The probation trusts involved in developing the pilots have also incurred costs locally. When the details have been established I will write to the hon. Gentleman.
	By investing in the development of these pilots, we have learned important lessons about market readiness for payment by results, structuring public services contracts by outcomes and driving value for money through the commissioning process.

Prisoners

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were refused entry into Her Majesty's Prison Thameside and redirected to Her Majesty's Prison Peterborough in August 2012 due to staffing difficulties.

Jeremy Wright: No prisoners were refused entry into HMP Thameside or redirected to HMP Peterborough during August 2012 because of staffing difficulties.

Prisoners

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions prisoners have been redirected from privately contracted prisons in England and Wales to public sector prisons due to staffing or other operational difficulties from January 2011 to September 2012.

Jeremy Wright: Redirections occur when a prisoner at court is sent to a prison other than the court indicated on the court committal pathway. A large number of redirections take place daily. The reasons for redirections normally fall into two main categories:
	prison population management; and
	prisoner discipline or welfare.
	On no occasion between January 2011 and September 2012 were prisoners redirected from a privately operated prison in England and Wales to a public sector prison because of staffing difficulties.
	During the population build-up at HMP Thameside, admission of additional prisoners was paused for two days (Saturday 25 August and Monday 27 August) to allow time for new prisoners who were causing difficulties to settle into the establishment. During this period, prisoners at court were directed to other local prisons in London. The intake of prisoners at the prison recommenced on 28 August.
	This was a sensible and proportionate response to a control issue, in line with standard practice in both the public and private sectors.

Prisoners

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were refused entry to a privately contracted prison in England and Wales and redirected to an alternative prison due to staffing or other operational difficulties between January 2011 and September 2012.

Jeremy Wright: None.

Public Order Offences: Greater London

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been charged with public order offences for insulting a police officer by the Metropolitan Police in 2012.

Oliver Heald: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Attorney-General.
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any data centrally on the number of people charged with public order offences for insulting a police officer. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally other than by a manual exercise at disproportionate cost.

Sir Edward Heath

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many files relating to the premiership of Sir Edward Heath (a) are retained by Government Departments and (b) have been transferred to the National Archives but have not yet been released under the 30 Year Rule.

Helen Grant: There are many millions of entries on the National Archives’ catalogue and a wide variety of search terms which may identify records dating from the period of Edward Heath's premiership (1970-74). Over a million records are listed on the catalogue as dating from that period, but without looking at these individually it is not clear whether each of these directly relates to Edward Heath's premiership. Results for various search terms can be viewed by searching the publicly available catalogue at:
	www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/discovery
	The most relevant record series relating to Edward Heath's premiership is PREM 15, which contains Prime Minister's Office files of the period and relates to matters in which the Prime Minister was most directly involved. PREM 15 contains 2,246 files, of which 2,160 are fully open to public access and are viewable in The National Archives' reading rooms.
	(a) Of the 2,246 PREM 15 files, 71 files and 67 extracts from open files have been retained by the Cabinet Office. (b) A further 15 files and 41 extracts in the PREM 15 series are held at the National Archives but are closed to public access.
	Retained and closed files are clearly marked on the publicly available catalogue, and members of the public can make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for any retained or closed file to be opened.

Video Games

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to enforce the appropriate sale of age-restricted video games.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	Enforcement powers on the sale of video games are already set out in the Video Recordings Act 1984. On 30 July 2012, the protections afforded by the Act were extended so that all video games suitable only for those aged 12 or over are now covered. The Government have been working in partnership with trading standards officers—who enforce regulation of age-restricted products—through the Primary Authority scheme to ensure that the new rules for video games are understood and effective. Retailers, too, have been working with regulators and with suppliers to ensure that everyone understands what the law requires for the labelling and sale of age-restricted video games and that staff are fully trained.
	Meanwhile, the Government have been carrying out a wider consultation on a draft code of practice for the delivery of all age-restricted product regulation, developed by the Better Regulation Delivery Office in collaboration with businesses and regulators. The consultation closed on 28 September 2012 and responses are now being considered.

Voting Rights: Prisoners

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to extend the franchise to convicted prisoners; what legislative options he has considered in response to the European Court of Human Rights’ judgment in the Scoppola v. Italy (No. 3) case; what draft versions of any relevant legislative proposals he has considered; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  with reference to the judgment given in the Scoppola v Italy (No. 3) case by the European Court of Human Rights in May 2012, whether he proposes to bring forward proposals to grant the right to vote to particular categories of prisoners; and whether he plans to grant prisoners the right to vote based on the (a) type of offence their conviction relates to and (b) length of time they are serving in custody;
	(3)  what his response is to the decision taken at the 1150 DH meeting of Ministers' Deputies, held on 24 to 26 September 2012 at the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, reference CM/Del/DEC(2012)1150/27/20 September 2012, in relation to the Hirst No. 2 group against United Kingdom; what representations the Government made in advance of that decision being made; when he plans to notify the Committee of Ministers of the steps the Government will take to comply with the judgments on the voting rights of prisoners; and if he will place in the Library copies of all related correspondence between the Government and the Council of Europe in 2012;
	(4)  what sanctions the UK might face if it did not comply with the European Court of Human Rights' judgments on the voting rights of prisoners; and on what dates he has sought legal advice on this matter.

Damian Green: The Government are considering carefully the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgment on prisoner voting in the case of Scoppola v. Italy (No. 3) and its implications for the UK.
	The Government's strongly held view—as we argued robustly before the Court—is that this should be a matter for national Parliaments, not the Strasbourg Court. We are considering how best to reconcile this view with our international obligations.
	The decision taken at the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers meeting on 26 September in relation to Hirst No. 2 was to resume consideration of the question at the Committee's 1157th meeting in December 2012. A United Kingdom representative made an oral statement and answered questions at the meeting in the usual way. There are no plans at this time to place copies of representations to, or correspondence between, the Government and the Council of Europe in the House of Commons Library.
	It would be premature to speculate on potential sanctions the ECtHR or the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe may or may not impose in relation to the judgments on prisoner voting rights. The Government will respond to the judgments of the ECtHR, and inform the Committee of Ministers, in due course. The deadline to do so is 23 November.
	The Government do not disclose details of legal advice.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average waiting time is for appeals relating to the work capability assessment in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each local authority area in Scotland.

Mark Hoban: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	Appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on an individual's entitlement to social security and child support are heard by the First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). The SSCS Tribunal hears appeals against benefit entitlement decisions in respect of employment and support allowance (ESA) rather than against work capability assessments themselves.
	Data for the SSCS Tribunal cannot be provided by local authority area.
	The following table shows the average time from receipt of an ESA appeal at the Tribunal to disposal for (a) Great Britain and (b) Scotland. The information covers 1 April 2012 to 30 June 2012, the latest period for which HMCTS has published the data.
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance appeals—average waiting times in weeks (April-June 2012) 
			  April-June 2012 
			 Great Britain 19.3 
			 Scotland 11.2 
			 Note: The above data are taken from HMCTS management information.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Maintenance

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents within the Child Support Agency's caseload have a child maintenance liability which has been increased above the basic formula, as a result of a successful variation application by a parent with care, on the basis that the lifestyle of the non-resident parent was inconsistent with declared income.

Steve Webb: There are a number of grounds on which a variation can be applied for, and each application is investigated on a case-by-case basis and may result in the assessment being adjusted. Our Management Information systems are unable to provide this level of detail without accessing each individual case, which would be at a disproportionate cost.

Child Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Child Support Agency's policy is on the collection of ongoing child maintenance liabilities from a non-resident parent in circumstances where a court has made an order against the non-resident parent for repayment in instalments of past child maintenance arrears.

Steve Webb: The Agency’s remit is to collect all child maintenance as quickly and efficiently as possible, taking into account the circumstances of both parents and the welfare of any children affected by the recovery of the debt.
	Where the Agency instigates necessary enforcement proceedings in the county courts throughout England and Wales, the non-resident parent may apply for a Variation Order as to the date or rate of repayment of the debt. This may result in an order being granted for payment of arrears of child maintenance by instalment.
	Payment by instalments may also be ordered by the magistrates court in England and Wales, or the Sheriff in Scotland, when the Agency seeks a warrant of commitment to prison. The court may fix a term of imprisonment or make an order for disqualification from driving but suspend or postpone the issue of the warrant or order until such time and upon such conditions as the court thinks just.
	The law provides that the court shall, in the presence of the non-resident parent, inquire as to his or her means. Therefore, before setting any conditions, the court will be aware of the non-resident parent's ability to pay and may order payment of the arrears accordingly. The Agency will request that the payment be set at such a level as to recover the debt in as short a time as can be reasonably achieved given the non-resident parent's financial position. If the non-resident parent fails to make the required payments, then the Agency will ask the court to summon or cite the non-resident parent to show cause for not adhering to the payment conditions set by the court and will request that the sentence be implemented.
	In all instances, the court will set the instalments to cover arrears only; however, when looking at a parent's financial means they will consider his or her ability to pay against the need to meet ongoing liability for regular maintenance. It is our view that children benefit overall from receiving maintenance regularly, so collection of ongoing maintenance will always be our primary concern.

Child Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Child Support Agency has responded to the request of the Independent Case Examiner in May 2011 that it considers the wording of the information given in the Agency's Child Maintenance Direct leaflet in order to make it clearer that a parent with care must make a specific request to the Agency in order to secure its direct involvement in the collection of child maintenance; and what response was received to any such request.

Steve Webb: The leaflet will be updated later in the year, taking account of stock levels, in line with the comments raised by the Independent Case Examiner.

Child Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Child Support Agency has responded to the request of the Independent Case Examiner in January 2012 that it considers giving its Banking and Payment Assignment Service Team access to customers' addresses so that if problems arise with a standing order it could contact its clients directly rather than having to contact the bank; and what response he has received to any such request.

Steve Webb: The Agency confirmed that the Banking and Payment Assignment Service Team (BPAS) does have access to all of the CSA's legacy systems. The clients affected by the bank's letter are non-resident parents who currently pay by standing order and whose banks do not provide a NINO, address or request for assessment. The Agency writes to the bank to ask for more information in order to trace the correct non-resident parent. This is a system-generated letter which happens in less than 1.5% of the receipts that BPAS processes. The Agency does not divulge any additional information from that forwarded by the bank. Additionally, standing order will not be a preferred method of collection within the future scheme, reducing the numbers further. ICE approved closure of the recommendation.

Employment and Support Allowance

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 551W, on employment and support allowance, 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to collect information on how many people who appealed against the decision not to pay them employment and support allowance died before the determination of their appeal through (a) illness and (b) suicide;
	(2)  for what reasons his Department does not collect information on how many people who appealed against the decision not to pay them employment and support allowance died before the determination of their appeal through (a) illness and (b) suicide.

Mark Hoban: The Department publishes information on ESA appeals when they have been heard by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. As the Department's benefit administration datasets do not capture pending appeals information, we are currently unable to publish Official Statistics for this specific area. The Department has no immediate plans to collect pending appeals information.

Employment and Support Allowance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the annual number of employment and support allowance mandatory reconsiderations before appeal; and what assessment he has made of his Department's capacity to complete these reconsiderations within a reasonable timescale.

Mark Hoban: The requested information on the number of mandatory reconsiderations completed before an employment and support allowance appeal is not available.
	The Department's implementation planning activity will ensure that we have sufficient resources to complete mandatory reconsiderations within a reasonable timescale.

Employment and Support Allowance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that claimants whose employment and support allowance has been disallowed receive an income while the reconsideration of their case is pending.

Mark Hoban: Employment and support allowance will continue to be paid pending the outcome of appeals against decisions that a claimant does not have limited capability for work. This will include the reconsideration period once an appeal is lodged. Claimants who are disallowed employment and support allowance also have available to them other benefits such as jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit.

Employment and Support Allowance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions within what timescale he expects (a) 90 per cent and (b) 99 per cent of mandatory reconsiderations before employment and support allowance appeal to be completed; what consideration he has given to including those expectations in statutory guidelines; and if he will define unreasonable delays as referred to in the Government response to the public consultation on mandatory consideration of revision before appeal.

Mark Hoban: The Department is currently developing the process that decision makers will follow when carrying out mandatory reconsiderations. Until the final process design is completed and tested it will not be possible for the Department to state what the appropriate timescales for completing mandatory reconsiderations will be.
	There are no plans for a statutory timescale for completion of the mandatory reconsideration process. The aim of the mandatory reconsideration is to ensure that the decision on a claimants benefit is correct, and this may involve asking claimants for additional information and evidence. A statutory time limit may put pressure on decision makers to complete the process quickly rather than ensure that all the relevant information has been taken into consideration, which may result in unnecessary appeals being made.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Youth Contract placements have been started in (a) England and Wales, (b) the East Midlands, (c) Nottinghamshire and (d) Ashfield constituency; and what proportion of such placements are with smaller employers.

Mark Hoban: The Youth Contract went live in April 2012 and includes extra work experience places, including those that offer training and guaranteed interviews through sector-based work academies. This provides an offer of a place for every 18 to 24-year-old who wants one, before they enter the Work programme.
	Official statistics for work experience and sector-based work academy starts from the start of the Youth Contract in April 2012 to May 2012 show:
	
		
			 Work experience starts (April and May) 
			  Number 
			 England and Wales 8,840 
			 East Midlands 720 
			 Nottinghamshire 160 
			 Ashfield constituency 20 
		
	
	
		
			 Sector-based work academy starts (April and May) 
			  Number 
			 England only (policy not in Wales) 2,340 
			 East Midlands 140 
			 Nottinghamshire 40 
			 Ashfield constituency — 
			 Note: Figures rounded to the nearest 10; numbers under 5 are marked with a dash. Source: Official Statistics Database. 
		
	
	Because we do not routinely collect data on employers by size, we do not know what proportion of work experience places are with small employers.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what liaison arrangements are in place between his Department and the Department for Education on the Youth Contract for young people aged 16 to 17 years.

Mark Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education worked closely together in the design and procurement of the Youth Contract programme for young people aged 16 to 17 years. This has ensured that the knowledge gained from existing programmes was built on to establish a targeted initiative which would meet the needs of our most disadvantaged young people. Since the programme launched in September, officials from both Departments have met on a regular basis to discuss the Youth Contract as a whole, including this particular element. Both Departments will continue to work together to ensure the operational alignment of all parts of the Youth Contract.

Employment: Discrimination

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to tackle discrimination in the workplace against people with schizophrenia.

Esther McVey: Where a person meets the definition of a disabled person set out in the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate directly against such disabled employees and potential employees. An employer is also required to make reasonable adjustments to any element of the recruitment process and/or job which places a disabled applicant/employee at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people, if it is reasonable in all the circumstances of the particular case for them to do so.
	Where customers with schizophrenia need extra support to find or retain work, the local Jobcentre Plus office can refer them to a disability employment adviser who can provide support and advice in finding or staying in employment, including sourcing suitable job opportunities, advocating on their behalf with employers and using the professional expertise of occupational psychologists specialising in working with disabled people. They will also be able to refer them, where appropriate, to personalised back-to-work support to help unemployed people, for example the Work programme, or to the specialist support available for disabled people, for example Work Choice, Access to Work or residential training.

Housing Benefit

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has to teach people about the changes to housing benefit.

Steve Webb: The Department has a number of initiatives designed to increase awareness of changes to housing benefit. Responsibility for communicating changes is a joint one with each local authority. Guidance, standard letters, factsheets and responses to frequently asked questions have been designed with and made available to local authorities who can use or adapt them in order to have maximum impact locally. The Department also supplies supporting tools for claimants, such as online calculators for the benefit cap and local housing allowance.

Housing Benefit

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the capacity of parents of housing benefit claimants aged under 25 to house their children;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of recipients of housing benefit under the age of 25 years who are unable to live with their parents due to (a) overcrowding, (b) a breakdown of the relationship and (c) abuse experienced in the home.

Steve Webb: No such assessment has been made, as current Government policy does not include withdrawing housing support from people aged under 25.

Housing Benefit

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of claimants of housing benefit under the age of 25 who are (a) undertaking apprenticeships and (b) undertaking another form of training.

Steve Webb: Information on the number of housing benefit recipients under the age of 25 who are undertaking (a) apprenticeships and (b) another form of training is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing Benefit

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many housing benefit recipients under the age of 25 live in a (a) homelessness hostel and (b) domestic violence refuge.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.

Housing Benefit: Wales

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of housing benefit claimants in Islwyn constituency are in active employment.

Steve Webb: Information on how many housing benefit claimants in Islwyn constituency are in active employment is not currently available.

Jobseeker's Allowance

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants with children under five years old in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK.

Mark Hoban: Information as requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the guidance his Department gives to jobcentre staff to use when considering applying sanctions to jobseeker's allowance claimants who have recently signed compromise or settlement agreements.

Mark Hoban: DWP does not give specific guidance on considering sanctions for JSA claimants who have signed compromise or settlement agreements as such cases are quite uncommon. General guidance for JCP staff typically covers common circumstances. For rarer or more unusual cases, such as these types of agreements, staff are encouraged to approach central advice teams with expertise in the relevant areas.

Mental Function Champions

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to monitor the performance of mental function champions.

Mark Hoban: There has been no formal evaluation of the introduction of mental function champions but routine monitoring of quality and customer satisfaction takes place as part of the contractual arrangements between DWP and Atos Healthcare. In addition, Professor Harrington's second review noted that the role is being well utilised and that healthcare professionals have welcomed the advice and support. DWP is continuing to work with Atos Healthcare to build on the mental function champion role and is looking at how their knowledge and expertise can be shared directly with decision makers.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the retail distribution review on auto-enrolled staff.

Steve Webb: The Retail Distribution Review (RDR) aims to address long-running problems that impact on the quality of advice and consumer outcomes in the UK retail investment market. Once implemented the RDR will boost confidence in the financial advice sector by professionalising advice and making charges more transparent.
	For workplace personal pensions, the FSA has said the RDR bans financial advisors from receiving commission set by pension providers in return for recommending their products to the employer. From 31 December 2012, advisors and employers must agree the price for advice in advance.
	We are monitoring developments in the market, including looking at all types of charges, and will take prompt action if we spot abuse or charges become excessive. Powers in the Pensions Act 2008 can be used to stop schemes from being qualifying schemes for automatic enrolment if members are required to pay excessive charges for anything which does not deliver them a pension benefit.

Remploy

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether Remploy Ltd is categorised as a public sector company; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Remploy Ltd is constituted as a company limited by guarantee and is categorised as a public non-financial corporation and an executive non- departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Remploy

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people formerly employed at the Remploy factory in Wythenshawe have found alternative employment.

Esther McVey: I can confirm that of the 19 employees affected by the factory closure announcements at the Manchester site, 16 have agreed to be supported by the People Help and Support Package, and one of them has already found alternative employment.

Social Fund

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many successful claimants from the Social Fund there were in each local authority in 2010-11.

Steve Webb: A table will be placed directly in the Library providing details of the amount spent in each local authority in 2010-11 on each element of the discretionary Social Fund. There are no figures held for the regulated Social Fund at local authority level.

Social Security Benefits

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has to teach claimants about how to handle their finances and budgets when moving from weekly to monthly benefit payments.

Mark Hoban: We recognise that some claimants may need additional help to budget, particularly during the transitional period when payments change to a monthly cycle. We are working with the advice sector to ensure that claimants are able to access appropriate budgeting support services to enable them to manage their money successfully as they move to universal credit. Examples of the types of advice under consideration include:
	advice on managing money and paying bills, including how to do a monthly budget plan;
	motivating and increasing confidence to take control of personal finances;
	prioritising and paying rent on time; and/or
	advice on how to set up and manage bank accounts.
	For some claimants an alternative payment arrangement may be needed to support them in the move to UC; this could be a more frequent payment, a split payment within the household, or payment of housing costs direct to the landlord.

Social Security Benefits

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who will be affected by the benefit cap, by (a) local authority, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) Jobcentre Plus district.

Mark Hoban: On 16 July 2012 the Department published an updated impact assessment for the household benefit cap, which estimated that in Great Britain 56,000 households would be affected by the cap in the first year of its implementation (the financial year 2013-14).
	On the basis of the impact assessment, a copy of the table ‘Local Authority breakdown of those affected by the benefit cap’ was placed in the Library and can be found at:
	http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2012-1447/LocalAuthoritybreakdownaffectedbybenefitcap.doc
	Tables showing a breakdown of the number of households who may be affected by parliamentary constituency and a breakdown by Jobcentre Plus district will be placed in the Library.
	Please note in all of the tables household numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. Areas with fewer than 100 households affected are denoted by “..”, as additional disclosure control has been applied to these areas. For this reason, figures will not sum to the total number of households affected in the July 2012 impact assessment for the household benefit cap.
	We assume that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps either to work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible. Therefore, please note that these figures are subject to change prior to the policy being implemented in April 2013.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice and guidance his Department has given claimants, including long-term claimants, about the effects of the benefit cap; and what contact his Department plans to have with them before the cap is introduced.

Mark Hoban: Those claimants who may be affected by the benefit cap have been identified and the Department wrote to them in May 2012 to tell them about the cap and offer appropriate support to enable them to change their circumstances and move into work. A further letter was sent in September 2012 and it is the Department's intention to send a further notification early next year. Support available includes a helpline which can provide claimants with information and signpost them to support based on their individual needs; a calculator tool available through Gov.uk
	www.gov.uk
	which will inform claimants of the amount of likely reduction to their housing benefit when the cap is introduced; and employment support is being offered by Jobcentre Plus, the Work programme and the Work Choice programme as appropriate. Staff in Jobcentre Plus districts are also working closely with those in local authorities in their area to offer joint support to those affected by the cap.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants from the Social Fund have been sanctioned and how much they were penalised per person, by local authority in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13 to date.

Steve Webb: The information is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. In addition, we do not have individual-level data for all aspects of the Social Fund, in particular the regulated fund.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the amount of money (a) recovered from and (b) lost through benefit fraud in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Hoban: The estimated amount of money lost through benefit fraud can be found on the DWP National Statistics Fraud and Error in the Benefit System webpage
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/index.php?page=fraud_error
	For the last 10 years the estimated level of benefit fraud was as follows:
	
		
			  Amount 
			  £ billion Percentage of benefit expenditure 
			 2011-12 (preliminary) 1.1 0.7 
			 2010-11 1.2 0.8 
			 2009-10 1.1 0.8 
			 2008-09 1.0 0.8 
			 2007-08 0.8 0.6 
			 2006-07 0.8 0.6 
			 2005-06 0.6 0.6 
			 2004-05 0.8 0.8 
		
	
	
		
			 2003-04 1.0 1.0 
			 2002-03 1.8 1.6 
			 Note: There was a discontinuity in the above time series prior to 2005-06, so fraud and error estimates pre-2005-06 can not be directly compared to the estimates from 2005-06 onwards. 
		
	
	A proportion of this money fraudulently claimed is subsequently identified and recovered by the Department. For overpayment recovery purposes, a debt can be classified as fraudulent only if a customer has been convicted of an offence, admitted the offence in an interview under caution or agreed to an administrative penalty. Otherwise, the debt is classified as customer error. The total value of overpayments identified in 2011-12 where recovery was sought totalled £486.9 million. The total the Department recovered in 2011-12 was over £375 million, of which £354 million related to benefit overpayments. The actual amount of benefit overpayments classified as fraud that have been recovered since 2007-08 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Value of recoveries (£ million) 
			 2007-08 25 
			 2008-09 25 
			 2009-10 28 
			 2010-11 33 
			 2011-12 39 
			 Sum 149 
			 Source: Debt Accounting. This does not form official statistics but is derived from Management Information. These data are available only from 2007-08.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to provide clearer guidance to assessors and staff on the symptoms of conditions that do not have any obvious physical signs.

Mark Hoban: Atos Healthcare professionals and decision makers already receive clear guidance and training in relation to people with medical conditions that do not exhibit physical signs.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to provide additional training to all assessors and staff on the symptoms of conditions that do not have any obvious physical signs.

Mark Hoban: Atos Healthcare professionals and decision makers already receive clear guidance and training in relation to people with medical conditions that do not exhibit physical signs. There are no plans to provide additional training.

Universal Credit

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to support those people eligible to receive universal credit who do not have access to a computer or are unable to use one.

Mark Hoban: Universal credit will be predominantly online. We recognise some claimants do not have access to computers and will require support to transact online. Our current plans are to provide claimants with digital support based on needs, either directly or indirectly through third parties.

Universal Credit

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the possible effect of adult illiteracy and innumeracy on the effective implementation of his online universal credit system.

Mark Hoban: We have conducted a survey of benefits and tax credit recipients, which included an exploration of internet use, barriers to using the internet and the types of support people would find useful. Those who were not willing to apply online were asked for their reasons and 9% of those surveyed referred to general problems with literacy.
	Those claimants who require support will be able to access the UC service through other channels. The Department is working with stakeholders and delivery partners in the digital inclusion space to develop a range of options that support claimants who are not yet digitally competent to access the internet and provide support for increasing their e-skills.
	We will use the opportunity of our pathfinder approach to develop and test support arrangements which balance the need to provide appropriate advice and to focus our investment on the service offered to claimants.

Universal Credit

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent progress the working party on the future funding of supported accommodation following the introduction of universal credit has made; and whether it will report its recommendations.

Steve Webb: The working group was set up to consider the issues around helping with the housing costs of those living in supported housing and, as such, no formal recommendations were made. However, those discussions did inform last year's consultation document.
	Having taken account of responses to that consultation and other representations, we have announced that we shall provide help towards supported housing costs outside universal credit. This will ensure that we continue to provide a flexible system to help meet the higher costs often associated with providing this type of accommodation.
	We are exploring the feasibility of a localised funding system with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the devolved Administrations. We are convinced that local knowledge is essential to help identify this often diverse group, build effective relationships with providers and ensure that resources are targeted effectively at those who need it while ensuring that any financial scrutiny is well directed.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the marginal deduction rates for individuals under (a) the current system and (b) universal credit are by income bracket.

Mark Hoban: The marginal deduction rate that applies to an individual is not directly related to their income; it is a product of the individual taper rates of the benefits they receive and the rate of tax and national insurance that they pay.
	Universal credit (UC) will replace the complex system of tapers for in-work support with a consistent taper of 65% on net income and remove the 100% taper for out- of-work benefits; as a result, universal credit will reduce the highest marginal deduction rates (MDRs).
	The following table, which was published at the 2012 Budget, gives examples of MDRs for individuals with different characteristics:
	
		
			 Budget 2012: Table B.2: Illustrative participation tax rates (PTRs) and marginal deduction rates (MDRs) for example individuals 
			  2014-15 
			  Excluding universal credit Including universal credit 
			  At 10 hours At 35 hours At 10 hours At 35 hours 
			  PTR MDR PTR MDR PTR MDR PTR MDR 
			 Lone parent, one child 70 100 54 73 0 0 46 76 
			 First earner in couple, no children 85 100 70 73 24 65 56 76 
			 First earner in couple, two children 85 100 61 91 7 65 51 76 
			 Second earner in couple, no children. First earner working 10 hours 97 65 58 73 65 65 68 76 
			 Second earner in couple, two children. First earner working 10 hours 93 0 59 91 65 65 68 76 
			 Single, under 25, no children 91 65 66 32 50 65 64 76 
			 Note: Analysis assumes no council tax benefit entitlement and excludes child care costs. Further details of the assumptions underpinning the estimates in this table can be found in the Data Sources document. Source: HM Treasury estimates 
		
	
	The table shows the wide range of MDRs faced by various illustrative individuals under the current system. For example, an individual who earns too much to receive out-of-work benefits—income support, jobseekers allowance, employment and support allowance—but is simultaneously in receipt of housing benefit and tax credits can have MDRs as high as 91% (assuming they have no entitlement to council tax benefit).
	Under universal credit, an individual earning less than their earnings disregard will have an MDR of zero. An individual on the UC taper and not paying tax and national insurance will face an MDR of 65%. For an individual receiving UC and paying tax and national insurance the MDR is 76%.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of recipients of employment and support allowance who will claim universal credit online.

Mark Hoban: Our intention is for as many as possible to claim universal credit through online channels. We recognise that internet access and usage by employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants is lower than other UC claimants. We will therefore be providing appropriate support to help them claim online. We recognise that some people will still use other channels.

Work Capability Assessment

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that Welsh language correspondence from Jobcentre Plus decision makers to claimants is (a) available and (b) timely.

Mark Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions' Welsh Language Scheme was approved by the Welsh Language Board in March 2010 and sets out how we will deal with the public in their preferred language. Processes are in place across the Department to enable customers to deal with DWP in their preferred language.
	An indicator on our Labour Market IT System records the customer's preference for dealing with the business in Welsh or English, and whether the preference is for written or verbal communication or both. The majority of letters generated locally are automatically produced in Welsh if the marker is set.
	The current benefit computer systems are unable to generate Welsh output automatically. Where customers have requested correspondence in Welsh, a process is in place to translate the letters prior to issuing to the customer. In the majority of cases, translated letters are dispatched within one working day by first-class post. Standard English letters are issued by second-class post.
	The Universal credit benefit system has been designed to produce Welsh notifications automatically.
	Ad-hoc/bespoke letters produced by Jobcentre Plus advisers, decision makers in Benefit Centres etc. are translated into Welsh on request, within the time scales requested.

Work Programme

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to ensure that functionally illiterate and innumerate adults are supported within the Work programme.

Mark Hoban: In bidding for Work programme contracts, bidders had to demonstrate that they had the plans and capacity to tailor support to meet the needs of all participants, and in particular to help them tackle any barriers to employment.

Work Programme

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent guidance he has given to Work programme providers on Youth Contract wage incentives; and if he will place a copy of any such guidance in the Library.

Mark Hoban: Guidance on the Youth Contract wage incentive scheme is available in chapter 20 of the Work Programme Provider Guidance. A copy of chapter 20 (part of a large document) will be placed in the Library.

Work Programme

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department has issued to Work programme providers on the potential effect of the introduction of universal credit on their work.

Mark Hoban: We are currently holding regular discussions with Work programme providers about the impact of universal credit on the Work programme. It is too early for formal guidance to be issued.

HOME DEPARTMENT

BAE Systems

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times (a) Ministers and (b) officials of her Department met representatives from BAE Systems Detica in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 26 October 2012
	Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

BAE Systems

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff who work for BAE Systems Detica have been working in her Department in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 26 October 2012
	The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Bail

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were granted police bail without a condition to reside at a specific address in the latest year for which figures are available.

Damian Green: The requested information is not collected centrally.

e-Borders

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on the e-Borders programme in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency is not currently able to confirm the detailed spend by year but will be able to do this once the binding arbitration following the termination of the contract with Raytheon Systems Limited is complete and the Agency is advised that it is legally appropriate.

e-Borders

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what purposes data collected from the e-Borders programme are currently being used.

Mark Harper: e-Borders data provides a comprehensive set of information on arriving, transiting or departing passengers and crew, which is matched against watch lists to identify known individuals of interest prior to travel. This has resulted in over 12,800 arrests in the UK since 2005 for crimes such as murder, rape and assault. There have been multiple seizures of large quantities of all classes of drugs, cigarettes and tobacco, as well as seizures of lost, stolen or forged passports; the identification of facilitators and the refusal of entry to the UK of immigration offenders.
	In addition, e-Borders provide a repository of information about the travel history of all persons arriving in and departing the UK on international journeys (where those journeys are covered by e-Borders). Travel history data are used to monitor compliance with immigration rules and to support criminal investigations. Data can be searched for particular travel-related behaviours which indicate potential criminal or terrorist behaviour. This assists in identifying individuals of possible interest who may not be known already to the law enforcement agencies as well as identifying networks of terrorists or crime groups.
	e-Borders data are also used to close non-asylum migrant cases as part of the Voluntary Departures Programme and to identify voluntary departures of Failed Asylum Seekers (FAS). In addition, we are working with the Office for National Statistics to assess how e-Borders data could support improvements in migration and population statistics.

e-Borders

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the original terms of reference were for the e-Borders programme; and which Minister was responsible for the programme at the time the original terms of reference were published.

Mark Harper: There is no specific document entitled the “Terms of Reference” for the e-Borders programme, which developed as a result of the Semaphore and IRIS projects. However, an Outline Business Case was produced in May 2005, which sets out the key requirements for an integrated secure border. It states;
	In order to develop a comprehensive strategy to deal with the current challenges faced and deliver a modernised intelligence-led border control for the UK, the following key requirements need to be met:
	Mechanisms for applying the level of control appropriate to the 51 perceived risk and the entitlements held by those passengers. These range from the ability to deny travel and, at the other end of the spectrum, expediting clearance on arrival;
	Mechanisms for assessing, in advance of arrival, the immigration and security risks posed by passengers on scheduled or otherwise authorised services to the UK;
	Maintaining an accurate movement record of passengers travelling to and departing from the UK, in support of further border control functions, including risk analysis and detecting those who have no right to be in the UK and assist in the fight against terrorists and criminals;
	Sharing relevant information in an efficient and legal manner between border control, law enforcement, intelligence agencies and other Government Department;
	Measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of border control operations, so that operations can be continually assessed and optimised;
	Use passenger information and intelligence to inform and strengthen border control, law enforcement and intelligence agencies, making them more effective, efficient and flexible; and
	Provide more and better information about passengers to the UK (within legal constraints) that will support the work of border control, law enforcement and intelligence agencies and other Government Departments.
	There were two Ministers for Immigration at the time the Outline Business Case was developed, Des Browne (1 April 2004 to 6 May 2005) and Tony McNulty (9 May 2005-23 May 2006).

Criminal Records: Freedom of Information

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests for information from criminal records have been (a) issued by the UK authorities and (b) received by the UK authorities under EU Council Framework Decision 2009/315/JHA since it was implemented on 27 April 2012; and how many requests for information from criminal records for purposes other than criminal proceedings under Article 6(1) of the Framework Decision have been (i) issued by the UK authorities and (ii) received by the UK authorities under the Framework Decision in that period.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 22 October 2012
	The United Kingdom Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records (UKCA-ECR) has made 8,639 requests to other member states for the previous criminal records of individuals subject to criminal proceedings in the United Kingdom since EU Framework Decision 2009/315/JHA came into effect on 27 April 2012. In the same period it has received 2,127 requests in from other member states about individuals subject to criminal proceedings elsewhere in the EU.
	The UKCA-ECR has also made 258 requests under Article 6(1) of the Framework Decision for purposes other than criminal proceedings since 27 April 2012 and has received 671 requests for purposes other than criminal proceedings in the same period.

Cycling: Pedestrian Areas

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will issue guidance to police forces to ensure that action taken against individuals who ride bicycles on pavements is consistent nationally and in line with the law.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not plan to issue any guidance on the enforcement of the offence of cycling on the pavement. Enforcement of the law is an operational matter for the police.

Deportation

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the number of cases where it has taken two attempts to return a foreign national criminal or failed asylum seeker to their country of origin between January 2011 and January 2012.

Mark Harper: The data requested are not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols or produced as part of the UK Border Agency's standard reports.
	However, the UK Border Agency publishes immigration statistics, including removals, annually and quarterly, which are available from the Home Office Research and Statistics website. These can be found in the Library of the House, as well as the following website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q2-2012/removals-q2-2012

Deportation: Offenders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 120W, on offenders: foreign nationals, how many foreign national offenders discharged in 2011 with convictions for (a) rape, (b) other sexual offences and (c) violence against the person were (i) deported directly from custody, (ii) deported on release from custody, (iii) deported within one month of being released from custody, (iv) deported between one and two months of leaving custody, (v) deported between two and three months of leaving custody, (vi) deported between three and six months of leaving custody, (vii) deported between six and 12 months of leaving custody, (viii) deported 12 months or more after leaving custody, (ix) awaiting deportation in an immigration removal centre and (x) still resident in the UK.

Mark Harper: holding answer 19 October 2012
	To obtain figures for foreign national offenders discharged in 2011 according to type of offences and the range of dates requested would involve analysing a large volume of electronic records, which would incur a disproportionate cost. The following tables provide figures related to foreign national offenders deported in 2011 and in detention or still resident in the UK, categorised by the type of offences and range of dates requested.
	
		
			 Removals in 2011 
			  Rape Other sex offences Violence against the person 
			 (i) deported directly from custody (within Early Removal Scheme) 60 50 89 
			 (ii) deported on release from custody 3 11 12 
			 (iii) deported within one month of being released from custody 13 37 49 
			 (iv) deported between one and two months of leaving custody 8 20 26 
			 (v) deported between two and three months of leaving custody 5 24 12 
			 (vi) deported between three and six months of leaving custody 7 18 30 
		
	
	
		
			 (vii) deported between six and 12 months of leaving custody 9 20 29 
			 (viii) deported 12 months or more after leaving custody 17 35 47 
			 Grand total 122 215 294 
		
	
	
		
			 Released in 2011: Current detention as at 15 October, 2012 
			  Rape Other sex offences Violence against the person 
			 (ix) awaiting deportation in an immigration removal centre 1 3 23 
			 (x) still resident in the UK (non Detained and DO still being pursued) 11 15 79 
		
	
	This is internal management information and is subject to change.

Emergency Calls

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether operators who respond to 999 emergency calls and 101 non-emergency calls to the police are classified as front-line or back-office.

Damian Green: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary's (HMIC's) report ‘Demanding Times' (2011) defines the police front line as comprising
	“those who are in everyday contact with the public and who directly intervene to keep people safe and enforce the law”.
	As such, some of the activities involved in call handling and control room functions are considered to be ‘front-line’.
	Some call handling and control room functions are considered in HMIC's report as public facing ‘middle office' roles. In this report, HMIC sets out a 60:40 split between public facing and other ‘middle office’ functions by way of representing the national picture, but it highlights that this may vary from force to force.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the answer of 8 July 2010, Official Report, column 387, on entry clearances: overseas students, what recent progress her Department has made on the evaluation of the student system, including English language schools; whether this work includes an assessment of the contribution to the UK economy of English language schools; if she will make it her policy to carry out such an assessment on an annual basis; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: Following a public consultation from 7 December 2010, the Government introduced wide-ranging reforms to the student migration route. The first change was introduced on April 2011, and the last in July 2012. The economic impact of these reforms on different sectors, including on English language schools, was outlined in the 2011 impact assessment, ‘Reform of the Points Based Student (PBS) Immigration System’, which evaluated the costs and benefits of reform to the student visa system.
	The Government have also introduced the extended student visit visa, increasing the length of time student visitors can study English language without formal sponsorship from six to 11 months. English language schools can also use the Tier 4 visa route where appropriate.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of opting out of all pre-Lisbon treaty EU police and criminal justice measures.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 26 October 2012
	On 15 October the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), announced that the Government's current thinking is to opt out of these measures and seek to rejoin individual measures where it is in the national interest to do so. The Council, acting by qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission, may adopt a decision determining that the UK shall bear the direct financial consequences, if any, necessarily and unavoidably incurred as a result of the cessation of its participation in the third pillar acts. Until we hold discussions with the EU institutions and other member states, it is impossible to say with any certainty whether the UK will be held liable for any costs. However, the Government consider this to be a high threshold to meet.

Freedom of Information

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 30 July 2012, Official Report, column 1090W, on freedom of information, for what reason the Taser statistics for March 2010 to December 2011 have not been published.

Damian Green: holding answer 24 October 2012
	Data capture issues have taken slightly longer to resolve. It remains our intention to publish the police use of Taser statistics this autumn.

ICT

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the name is of each contractor or supplier of (a) mobile telephone and (b) mobile data services to her Department.

James Brokenshire: The Home Department has a contract with Vodafone for the provision of both mobile telephones and mobile data services.

Immigration: Leicester

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in Leicester given leave to remain in the UK had to wait longer than the 28-day transition period to receive their benefits and other entitlements in each of the last 12 months.

Mark Hoban: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The information requested is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer the letter sent to her by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 10 September 2012 with regard to Mr B Seaby.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 23 October 2012.

Passports: Lost Property

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports the UK Border Agency has lost in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: Passport losses are not currently recorded in a single format across the UK Border Agency and it is not possible to identify and cross check all present records to collate figures without incurring disproportionate cost.

Police and Crime Commissioners

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the level of awareness of the Police and Crime Commissioner elections (a) prior to her recent advertising campaign and (b) since her advertising campaign.

Damian Green: The level of awareness of Police and Crime Commissioner elections is being monitored by the Home Office via independent research, conducted before and after the campaign. As the advertising campaign only ended on 24 October awareness figures are not yet available.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much is being spent on the production of English-language only ballot papers in Wales for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

Damian Green: holding answer 26 October 2012
	The Home Office has agreed to meet the costs of any reasonable contingency measures that returning officers in Wales take. We expect the printing of additional ballot papers or notices to cost no more than £350,000. As previously stated, we do not expect the election to cost more than £75 million and these additional costs can be met from within this figure.

Police: Emergency Calls

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many emergency calls to the police were made in England and Wales in 2011; and which call centres took such calls.

Damian Green: holding answer 26 October 2012
	The latest available figures show that there were 9,166,679 emergency calls to the police received in 2010-11 and 8,929,533 emergency calls to the police received in 2011-12 within England and Wales. These figures are provisional, as they have not been fully verified by police forces. Information on which call centres took such calls is not collected by the Home Office.

Police: Training

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which training establishments are used by English and Welsh constabularies for the initial training of police officers.

Damian Green: holding answer 26 October 2012
	The initial training is implemented and delivered locally by 43 police forces in England and Wales. The National Policing Improvement Agency is the executive arm of the Association of Chief Police Officers-led central authority, which regulates the initial policing learning programme.

Social Networking: Data Protection

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to protect the private online data of users of social networking sites.

Helen Grant: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	The Data Protection Act 1998 regulates the use and disclosure of personal data and is administered and enforced independently of the Government by the Information Commissioner. Where personal data intended to be private are disclosed contrary to the Act's requirements and no relevant exemption applies, the Information Commissioner may take enforcement action against the organisation or individual concerned. The Information Commissioner's Office has a dedicated page on its website:
	www.ico.gov.uk/youth
	which provides practical advice and everyday scenarios on how young adults can stay safe online.
	The Government are also engaged in a joint initiative with the private sector to promote awareness of staying safe online. This campaign is available at:
	www.getsafeonline.com
	and provides guidance on staying safe when using the internet, including the use of social media.
	In addition, the National Fraud Authority provides comprehensive information on its website to promote the available guidance and publications on fraud, especially online fraud, including where perpetrators use social media as a means of committing offences.

Telecommunications Act 1984

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many directions under section 94 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 have been given in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 26 October 2012
	Section 94 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 states that the Secretary of State for the Home Department may issue directions in the interests of national security and, as with the practice of previous Governments, we do not comment on security matters.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Artworks

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if she will consider putting on public display in Kettering in 2013 Sir Alfred East's painting “After Turner, Venice, Fog Blowing up from the Adriatic”, which is held in the Government Art Collection.

Edward Vaizey: The Government Art Collection would be happy to consider lending its watercolour by Alfred East, “After Turner: Venice, Fog Blowing up from the Adriatic” to a public display in Kettering in 2013, and looks forward to receiving a request for the loan providing more details about the proposed exhibition.

Artworks

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to mark the centenary in 2013 of the death of the Kettering-born English landscape artist Sir Alfred East.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) does not have any plans to mark the centenary of the death of Sir Alfred East in 2013. DCMS has an “arm's length” relationship with its sponsored museums and galleries, therefore any decision they might take to commemorate this centenary would be a matter for the trustees and executive of each body.
	All of the oil paintings by Sir Alfred East which are held in public collections in Britain can now be viewed on the Your Paintings website, as the result of a joint initiative between the BBC, the Public Catalogue Foundation, and participating collections and museums from across the UK:
	http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/alfred-east

Artworks

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if she will make it a requirement that the Victoria and Albert Museum marks the centenaries of important British artists when considering future grant support for the museum.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport operates an “arm's length” relationship with its sponsored bodies such as the Victoria and Albert Museum. It does not, therefore, intervene in curatorial decisions about whether to mark the centenaries of important British artists, which are the responsibility of the Museum's board of trustees and its executive.

Billing

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the average time taken by her Department to settle invoices to external suppliers or contractors was in each of the last three financial years.

Hugh Robertson: The Department's invoice payment performance over the last three financial years, measured against the normal contractual commitment to pay all valid invoices within 30 days, is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Average number of working days from receipt to payment 
			 2011-12 6.73 
			 2010-11 7.64 
			 2009-10 7.62

Broadband

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's programme of funding to deliver high-speed broadband and wireless connectivity; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: Monitoring of the effectiveness, benefits and value for money of the Super-Connected Cities programme will begin to be made later in this financial year when the first of the cities start to go to procurement, and begin to spend their allocated funds.

Broadband

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether her Department gives priority to industrial and commercial users in its allocation of funding to deliver high-speed broadband and wireless connectivity; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Super-Connected Cities programme is based on the needs of the cities, as set out in their proposals. These proposals were evaluated both on the potential for generating economic growth by enabling businesses to benefit and attract new investment, and on the numbers of consumers who would be able to access the new services.

Broadcasting Reception

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 21W, on broadcasting reception, who owns the UK planning model; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 23 October 2012
	This is a matter for Ofcom, the independent broadcasting regulator. Accordingly, my officials spoke to Ofcom, who advised that the UK planning model is defined by the Joint Planning Project (JPP) (chaired by Ofcom) with input from each of the core JPP members (the BBC, Arqiva and Ofcom). The implementation of the model (i.e. how it is used to calculate coverage predictions etc.) is owned by the organisations who developed the software, the BBC and Arqiva, who each have their own version.

Creative Partnerships

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much has been spent on Creative Partnerships in each year since their creation.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport invests money in the arts through Arts Council England. The amount spent by the Arts Council on the Creative Partnerships Programme in each year since its creation, is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 2001-02 250 
			 2002-03 9,750 
			 2003-04 15,500 
			 2004-05 29,404 
			 2005-06 32,726 
			 2006-07 34,000 
			 2007-08 34,800 
			 2008-09 42,989 
			 2009-10 38,542 
			 2010-11 36,107 
			 2011-12 17,550

HMS Victory

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions she has had on steps to ensure that the remains of HMS Victory discovered in 2008 are protected under the Annex to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The British Government have adopted the Annex of the Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage as best practice for marine archaeology but we do not believe that the case for ratification of the convention by the UK has been made. This position will continue to be kept under review.

Public Libraries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what her policy is on whether volunteer-run libraries will be subject to the statutory public library service requirements; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 sets out the statutory duty for all local authorities to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service, set in the context of local need and available resources. Depending on the individual facts of a case, it is possible for a community-managed or community-supported library to form part of a library authority's statutory provision; or alternatively, for them to sit outside of an authority's statutory provision. Libraries have always been funded and run by local authorities, and it is right, therefore, that local authorities should have the flexibility to consider how to discharge their duties under the 1964 Act.

Local Broadcasting: Television

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if she will take steps to ensure the provision of a strong, regionally-based news output in the ITV Granada franchise.

Edward Vaizey: High quality news and plurality of coverage throughout the UK is a pillar of Public Service Broadcasting. Channel 3 Public Service Broadcasters are responsible for complying with the terms of their licences, which include a requirement to provide a set quota of news in every region. Ofcom has powers to ensure that provision is sufficient and that licence holders meet requirements set out in the Communications Act 2003.

Equal Civil Marriage

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether consideration was given to requiring respondents to her Department's equal civil marriage consultation who used its online survey facility to supply their name, address, email address and any other identifying information that might help prevent individuals making fraudulent multiple submissions.

Helen Grant: Protections were put in place to ensure that multiple submissions from individual computers were not possible, however we cannot prevent people making multiple submissions from different computers, or via other methods, such as e-mail. The online response facility accompanying the consultation on equal civil marriage did not ask participants to provide information regarding their identity. This is in line with other consultations run by the Home Office.
	The Government's response, which will be published by the end of the year, will take all responses submitted to this consultation into account, and will be based on a careful consideration of the points made in consultation responses, not simply weighing the number of responses received.

Equal Civil Marriage

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether the signatures, names and addresses of 500,000 supporters of the current law on marriage which were supplied by the Coalition for Marriage in response to her Department's equal civil marriage consultation have been treated as separate responses to the consultation for the purposes of statistical analysis; and on what grounds the decision on whether to so treat them was taken.

Helen Grant: We are grateful to everyone who responded to the consultation, including the Coalition for Marriage.
	All responses received during the consultation on equal civil marriage are being taken into account, regardless of the format they were received in. This includes all petitions. The analysis of these responses is currently underway and the Government will publish its response by the end of the year.

Equal Civil Marriage

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many responses were received to her Department's equal civil marriage consultation; how many of those were submitted (a) by email, (b) by post, (c) through the online survey; in each such category, how many were received from IP, e-mail and other addresses outside the UK; and how many of the responses were anonymous.

Helen Grant: The consultation on equal civil marriage received over 228,000 responses, and a number of large petitions. The analysis of those responses, including detail on how they were received, is still underway. The Government will publish their response by the end of the year which will include details of the responses received.

Public Lending Right

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when she expects her Department to announce its decision on the Public Lending Right Office following the consultation on proposals to transfer public lending rights funding and functions.

Edward Vaizey: The Government's response to the public lending right consultation will be published alongside a final impact assessment in due course. A summary of the consultation responses is available on the Department's website, at the following link:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/consultations/9444.aspx

Sports: Disadvantaged

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if she will provide funding for tickets to professional football and cricket matches for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The governing bodies of football and cricket already work with local schools, community groups and a number of charities covering a range of disadvantaged groups providing free and concessionary tickets for international, and club matches. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for Women and Equalities will discuss with the governing bodies of football and cricket, the matter of what more can be done.

Tourism

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much the Government spent on (a) marketing Britain overseas and (b) marketing England in the UK in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and what the likely level of such spending will be in each of the next four years.

Hugh Robertson: The British Tourist Authority (BTA), VisitBritain and VisitEngland, discloses expenditure on the promotion of Britain internationally, and England domestically and internationally, within its annual reports. A full breakdown of expenditure for 2010-11 and 2011-12, can be found at note 14, and for 2009-10, at note 13, within the annual reports at this link;
	http://www.visitbritain.org/aboutus/corporatepublications/
	The following table provides VisitBritain and VisitEngland's total marketing spend, as well as marketing and global network operational costs.
	
		
			 £000 
			  Marketing Britain overseas Marketing England domestic 
			 Net spend (actual) 2009-10 26,349 0 
			 Net spend (actual) 2010-11 21,516 5,994 
			 Net spend (actual) 2011-12 28,689 7,550 
			 DCMS grant in aid allocation (budget) 2012-13 31,300 8,224 
			 DCMS GIA allocation (forecast allocation) 2013-14 18,300 7,471 
			 DCMS GIA allocation (forecast Allocation) 2014-15 16,600 4,832 
		
	
	In 2011-12, GIA funding included £11.129 million, and in 2012-13, £15.58 million for supplementary expenditure, such as the GREAT campaign. GREAT funding for 2013-14 has not yet been finalised, and therefore, the total GIA allocation for this year is subject to change.
	VisitEngland spend does not include the Regional Growth Fund.

Tourism: Devon

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if she will estimate the number of tourists who visited (a) Devon and (b) Newton Abbot constituency in the latest year for which figures are available.

Hugh Robertson: The Department does not record this information. However, VisitEngland's Great Britain Tourism Survey for 2009-11 reports that Devon attracted an average of 5,166,000 domestic visits annually:
	http://www.visitengland.org/insight-statistics/major-tourism-surveys/overnightvisitors/Index/Regional_Results_2011.aspx
	Details of visits are not collated at constituency level.
	Through the International Passenger Survey, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) records the number of visits to the UK made by overseas residents. In 2011, the ONS recorded that 425,000 visits were made to, and 3,721,000 nights were spent in, Devon by overseas residents. The ONS does not collate this information at constituency level.

UK Sport

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions she has had on relocating UK Sport's head office outside central London; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: UK Sport and Sport England are considering a variety of options across the country to co-locate together during the course of 2014, when the current leases of both organisations are drawing to a close. Based on a number of factors, including cost, the current shortlist includes options in central London and in the wider London area.

HEALTH

Abortion

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has (a) commissioned or (b) evaluated any recent research on the gestational time limits for abortion set out in the Abortion Act 1967.

Anna Soubry: The Department has not commissioned any recent research specifically on the gestational time limits for abortion set out in the Abortion Act 1967. The Department does keep the international evidence under review. Recent data published by the Office for National Statistics on 10 October 2012 “Gestation-Specific infant mortality in England and Wales, 2010”, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, found that 0.1% of live births occurred at less than 24 weeks and the mortality rates for these babies was 877.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, and also that there has been little change in the distribution of mortality rates by gestational age since 2006.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of alcohol-related hospital admissions.

Anna Soubry: The Government's Alcohol Strategy, published on 23 March, brings together the Government's approach to reducing the incidence of alcohol-related disease and crime.
	The strategy announced that the Government will reduce the availability of cheap alcohol by introducing a minimum unit price. The Government will consult on the level of minimum unit price in the autumn and will also consult on a ban on multi-buy price promotions in shops to stop them encouraging people to buy more than they really want or need.
	The strategy includes a strong package of health measures. These build on the introduction of the ring-fenced public health grant to local authorities and the new Health and Wellbeing Boards giving local areas the powers to tackle local problems.
	Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer, will oversee a review of the alcohol guidelines to ensure they are based on the best possible evidence.
	There will also be an alcohol check within the NHS Health Check for adults from April 2013.
	The Department launched a collective Responsibility Deal pledge on 23 March, to take 1 billion units out of the market by 2015 through improving the choice people have of lower strength products.

Blood: Contamination

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the support and assistance available to people who received contaminated blood and blood products during treatment by the NHS.

Anna Soubry: On 10 January 2011, this Government announced a package of measures to provide additional support for those affected, which includes additional ex-gratia payments for those affected by hepatitis C; index linking the recurrent payments for both hepatitis C and HIV to protect them from inflation; provision for counselling; and provision of annual prescription pre-payment certificates for infected individuals. All these measures have been implemented.
	New scientific evidence on the natural history of chronic hepatitis C infection and the consequences of chronic infection will be kept under review by the Department's expert Advisory Group on Hepatitis.

Cancer

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  for what reason he allocated only part of the Cancer Drug Fund underspend to the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund; and what plans he has made for the remainder of the underspend;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the likely level of underspend of the Cancer Drug Fund in 2012-13.

Norman Lamb: Strategic health authorities and the Department are working together to estimate the full year spend for the Cancer Drugs Fund in 2012-13. At this stage we cannot confirm whether there will be an underspend.
	We have established a Radiotherapy Innovation Fund of up to £15 million to enable providers to prepare to deliver, from April 2013, certain advanced radiotherapy to all patients who might benefit. The Radiotherapy Innovation Fund will utilise any underspend in the Cancer Drugs Fund in 2012-13. Should an underspend in the Cancer Drugs Fund not materialise in 2012-13, the Radiotherapy Innovation Fund will be funded from other sources.

Cancer: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he had had with (a) Tameside and Glossop Primary Care Trust and (b) Stockport Primary Care Trust on improving the proportion of cancer patients who begin treatment within 62 days of urgent referral from their GP.

Anna Soubry: There have been no such discussions at ministerial level.
	It is for the local national health service to oversee and manage the performance of local NHS organisations against operational standards such as those on cancer waiting times.
	The most recently available statistics(1) show that for the Tameside and Glossop Primary Care Trust (PCT) area, 88.9% of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer and subsequently diagnosed began first definitive treatment for cancer within two months (62 days). This is above the required operational standard of 85%.
	In the same period, 87.1% of patients from the Stockport PCT area who were urgently referred for suspected cancer and subsequently diagnosed began first definitive treatment for cancer within two months (62 days). This is also above the required level.
	(1 )Commissioner-based cancer waiting times for quarter 1 2012-13, published 31 August 2012
	www.transparency.dh.gov.uk/2012/08/31/cwt-commissioner-based-q1-2012-13

Christie NHS Foundation Trust

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the proton radiotherapy machine to be installed at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, how much money the Government plans to lend the hospital to purchase that equipment; at what interest rate the loan will be made; and over how many years the hospital will repay that loan.

Anna Soubry: The Government have committed to make up to £125 million in capital available to the Christie NHS Foundation Trust for both the building and equipment needed for a proton beam therapy facility. The arrangements by which this funding will be made available remain under discussion between the Department and the trust and are still to be finalised and signed off by all parties.

Clinical Trials

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients participated in a clinical trial in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: Data are not available on the total number of national health service patients who have participated in a clinical trial. Total recruitment in England to clinical trials (phases I to IV) hosted by the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (CRN), and total recruitment in England to all trials and other well-designed studies hosted by the CRN is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Trials (phases I-IV) 26,611 39,684 49,396 49,139 49,372 
			 All trials and studies 208,200 331,226 454,138 564,698 595,540

Drugs: Labelling

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce measures to ensure that any medicines available across the counter made in Israel are clearly marked as being a product of that country.

Norman Lamb: The requirements for medicines labelling are set out in both European and national legislation. There is no requirement for medicines labelling to indicate the country of origin. Labelling is required to indicate the company authorised to place the product on the market in the United Kingdom. There are no plans to amend the legislation to require country of origin details to be included in labelling requirements.

Drugs: Labelling

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that the NHS will not purchase medicines produced in Israel.

Norman Lamb: Clinicians have responsibility for their own prescribing decisions. It would be wrong to deny patients an appropriate medicine solely on grounds of geographical origin.

Friarage Hospital

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with (a) his ministerial colleagues, (b) local authorities, (c) trade unions and (d) other stakeholders about the possibility of referring changes in service provision at the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton, to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.

Anna Soubry: There have been no discussions between the Department's Ministers and other ministerial colleagues, local authorities, trade unions or other stakeholders about the possibility of referring changes in service provision at the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton to the Secretary of State for Health, who may then decide to seek initial advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.

Health Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the NHS Commissioning Board is making in establishing strategic clinical networks.

Anna Soubry: Following publication of the NHS Commissioning Board's proposals for strategic clinical networks in July (“The Way Forward: Strategic clinical networks”, published 26 July 2012), the Board has made good progress in establishing the networks:
	four NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) Regional Leads have been appointed to lead the implementation phase;
	the 12 NHS CB Local Area Teams who will host the network support teams have been confirmed, and their medical directors engaged in the next steps;
	the NHS CB has agreed the allocation of running cost funding of £10 million to meet the managerial and administration costs of the 12 network support teams, along with programme funding of £32 million. Programme funding is being allocated on an unweighted population basis;
	a Single Operating Framework for strategic clinical networks has been developed to promote consistency of approach, but also flexibility to allow health communities to develop their structures in line with local need and circumstances. The NHS CB intends to publish the framework early in November; and
	the structure for the network support teams has been agreed, and job descriptions for individual roles, along with the supporting human resources processes, are being finalised in line with the NHS CB's People Transitions Policy. The intention is to complete all recruitment by the end of December 2012.
	In addition, a document describing the role of operational delivery networks, which will focus on co-ordinating patient pathways between national health service providers over a wide area to ensure access to specialist resources such as critical care beds or burn units, will be published by the NHS CB in November.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to prevent non-emergency use of NHS resources by overseas visitors who are not exempt from NHS charges.

Anna Soubry: National health service hospital treatment that is clinically assessed as being urgent or immediately necessary will be provided to a chargeable overseas visitor even if the payment has not been received in advance. However, when the treatment needed is clinically considered as non-urgent, NHS hospitals should not provide the treatment until the estimated full cost of that treatment has been received. Non-urgent treatment is routine elective treatment that could wait until the patient can return home.
	In circumstances when urgent or immediately necessary treatment has been provided in advance of payment from chargeable overseas visitors, NHS hospitals will then seek to recover the debt from the patient. Following a change to the immigration rules on 31 October 2011, many patients with debts to the NHS can be denied re-entry to the United Kingdom or permission to extend their stay here, assisting NHS hospitals in debt recovery.
	In recognition that the current rules are complex, generous and inconsistently applied by frontline staff, the Department has undertaken a thorough review of charging overseas visitors for NHS care. This included how to establish more effective screening processes across the NHS to identify all of those who are not exempt, so that charges are levied appropriately. The initial phase of the review has concluded and its findings are being considered.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will lay official guidance regarding access to primary health services for overseas visitors before Parliament for approval.

Anna Soubry: The Department has no plans to produce new guidance on access to national health service primary medical services for overseas visitors. The Department has been undertaking a thorough review of entitlement for overseas visitors to NHS care. The initial phase of the review has concluded and its findings are being considered. If changes were to be made to the current entitlement for overseas visitors to be able to access NHS primary medical services, it would require primary legislation and be subject to parliamentary scrutiny. Should other changes be proposed for overseas visitors receiving primary medical services provided by the NHS, this would form part of a wider public consultation on NHS treatment of overseas patients.

Homelessness

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to assist homeless people in registering with a GP.

Daniel Poulter: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for South Swindon (Mr Buckland) on 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 1035W.

Homelessness

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the average age of death of homeless persons.

Anna Soubry: No assessment of the average age of death of homeless people has been made. We are taking steps to strengthen the collection of robust data and comprehensive research on the health of the homeless and other vulnerable groups. We have established a working group of experts under the Inclusion Health programme to advise on data and research needs.

Hospitals: Parking

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his policy is on the NHS charging patients and visitors for use of NHS car parks;
	(2)  what his policy is on the NHS charging NHS staff for use of car parks.

Daniel Poulter: Car parking policies are not set nationally. National health service organisations have the autonomy to make decisions locally on the provision of car parking to patients, visitors and staff.
	Patients whose health care needs require frequent or extended access to hospitals have a fundamental right to fair and appropriate car parking concessions and we expect hospital trusts to deliver them.

Medicine: Education

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many UK educational establishments offered courses in medicine suitable for entry into the NHS in each academic year since 1997-98; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The number of educational establishments offering courses in medicine suitable for entry into the national health service in each academic year since 1997-98 is:
	
		
			 Academic year Number of UK educational establishments offering courses in medicine 
			 1998 24 
			 1999 24 
			 2000 24 
			 2001 24 
			 2002 24 
			 2003 28 
			 2004 28 
			 2005 28 
			 2006 30 
			 2007 31 
			 2008 31 
			 2009 32 
			 2010 32 
			 2011 32

Medicine: Education

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many students enrolled on medical courses providing an education suitable for employment in the NHS in each academic year since 1997-98; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The number of students enrolling on medical courses providing an education suitable for employment in the national health service in each academic year since 1997-98 in the United Kingdom is:
	
		
			 Academic year Intake 
			 1997-98 5,062 
			 1998-99 5,069 
			 1999-2000 5,302 
			 2000-01 5,601 
			 2001-02 6,113 
			 2002-03 6,752 
			 2003-04 7,544 
			 2004-05 7,885 
			 2005-06 7,914 
			 2006-07 7,987 
			 2007-08 7,899 
			 2008-09 8,111 
			 2009-10 8,085 
			 2010-11 8,009 
			 2011-12 8,035 
		
	
	The Department and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) share responsibility for determining the medical and dental school undergraduate intakes in England.
	To discharge this responsibility, they periodically, jointly, review the numbers. In 2011, HEFCE and the Department agreed it was an opportune time for a further review of the numbers of medical and dental school places required in the future. The conclusions of this review are expected shortly.

NHS: Correspondence

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on primary care trusts seeking written consent from patients before they will deal with communications from their hon. Member whom they have requested to pursue matters on their behalf with the relevant trust.

Daniel Poulter: The Department published guidance in 2003 as part of the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice. This stated that:
	“If an investigation (by an MP) is appropriately authorised, disclosure will meet tests of necessity and appropriateness. The minimum necessary information should be disclosed. There is a balance to be drawn between ensuring that a patient has understood and properly consented to a disclosure of information and needlessly obstructing an investigation. Careful consideration of any written authorisation and prompt action are key, e.g. where an MP states, in writing, that s/he has a patient's consent for disclosure this may be accepted without further resort to the patient.”

NHS: Innovation

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much funding he has allocated for NHS Change Day;
	(2)  whether any external agencies are involved in the promotion of NHS Change Day.

Daniel Poulter: NHS Change Day is a national health service grassroots initiative devised and driven by new young and emergent clinical and managerial leaders from primary and secondary care across the NHS in England.
	Change Day is an ambitious programme of activities aimed at galvanising and engaging the frontline in the process of improvement through individuals and teams pledging to make a change in their practice that will improve patient experience and/or clinical outcomes by spreading and adopting best practice and championing innovation. NHS Change Day will bring together the individual creativity, energy and innovation of thousands of NHS staff from across clinical and non-clinical areas to improve care for patients, their families and their carers.
	The Department has not allocated any resources to NHS Change Day as its origins are from the NHS frontline. However, the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has been approached to support the activities to make NHS Change Day effective, and to this end are seeking a communications partner. A tender exercise is currently being run for a maximum of £30,000.

NHS: Redundancy

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was of staff redundancies in each primary care trust area in 2011-12.

Daniel Poulter: Information on redundancy payments is not available in the format requested. The following table contains “compulsory redundancies” and “other departures” for primary care trusts (PCTs) during 2011-12.
	The data are taken from the audited summarisation schedules of PCTs, from which the NHS (England) Summarised Accounts are prepared. The figures reported in the accounts represent the total resource cost of exit packages for staff leaving their organisation during the year. The expense associated with these departures may have been recognised in part or in full in a previous period.
	
		
			 “Compulsory redundancies” and “other departures” for primary care trusts (PCTs) during 2011-12 
			 £000 
			  Cost of compulsory redundancies Cost of other departures Total cost of exit packages 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 884 0 884 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 0 0 0 
			 Barnet PCT 484 0 484 
			 Barnsley PCT 0 1,353 1,353 
			 Bassetlaw PCT 0 713 713 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 64 0 64 
			 Berkshire East PCT 466 201 667 
			 Berkshire West PCT 14 80 94 
			 Bexley NHS Care Trust PCT 0 0 0 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 518 257 775 
			 Blackpool PCT 874 0 874 
			 Bolton PCT 324 0 324 
			 Bournemouth and Poole PCT 0 4 4 
			 Bradford and Airedale PCT 530 2,162 2,692 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 173 0 173 
			 Brighton and Hove City PCT 989 0 989 
			 Bristol PCT 440 0 440 
			 Bromley PCT 0 0 0 
			 Buckinghamshire PCT 425 62 487 
			 Bury PCT 0 763 763 
			 Calderdale PCT 0 462 462 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 0 336 336 
			 Camden PCT 445 139 584 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 355 0 355 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 452 179 631 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 207 324 531 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 0 0 0 
			 County Durham PCT 0 56 56 
			 Coventry Teaching PCT 0 144 144 
			 Croydon PCT 431 1 432 
			 Cumbria PCT 196 0 196 
			 Darlington PCT 154 517 671 
			 Derby City PCT 0 2,178 2,178 
			 Derbyshire County PCT 0 2,671 2,671 
			 Devon PCT 0 325 325 
			 Doncaster PCT 0 1,380 1,380 
			 Dorset PCT 1,105 0 1,105 
			 Dudley PCT 699 156 855 
			 Ealing PCT 302 0 302 
			 East Lancashire Teaching PCT 645 855 1,500 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 406 65 471 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 37 11 48 
			 Enfield PCT 473 126 599 
			 Gateshead PCT 0 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire PCT 455 809 1,264 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 148 0 148 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 0 0 0 
			 Halton and St Helens PCT 49 1,636 1,685 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire PCT 60 0 60 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 519 0 519 
			 Harrow PCT 0 0 0 
			 Hartlepool PCT 18 0 18 
			 Hastings and Rother PCT 138 177 315 
			 Havering PCT 1,952 752 2,704 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 176 152 328 
			 Herefordshire PCT 74 448 522 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 272 0 272 
			 Hillingdon PCT 27 0 27 
			 Hounslow PCT 0 0 0 
			 Hull PCT 0 403 403 
			 Isle of Wight NHS PCT 379 884 1,263 
			 Islington PCT 1,085 0 1,085 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 0 0 0 
			 Kingston PCT 0 0 0 
			 Kirklees PCT 0 391 391 
			 Knowsley PCT 0 1,373 1,373 
			 Lambeth PCT 0 100 100 
			 Leeds PCT 0 499 499 
			 Leicester City PCT 1,269 257 1,526 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 2,051 0 2,051 
			 Lewisham PCT 0 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire Teaching PCT 143 13 156 
			 Liverpool PCT 0 3,952 3,952 
			 Luton Teaching PCT 54 0 54 
			 Manchester PCT 116 788 904 
			 Medway PCT 0 0 0 
			 Mid Essex PCT 0 34 34 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 26 0 26 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 1,054 0 1,054 
			 Newcastle PCT 140 389 529 
			 Newham PCT 0 187 187 
			 Norfolk PCT 943 26 969 
			 North East Essex PCT 277 46 323 
			 North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus PCT 65 177 242 
			 North Lancashire Teaching PCT 814 593 1,407 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 0 577 577 
			 North Somerset PCT 349 0 349 
			 North Staffordshire PCT 346 15 361 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Teaching PCT 31 0 31 
			 North Tyneside PCT 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 34 84 118 
			 Northamptonshire Teaching PCT 588 0 588 
			 Northumberland Care PCT 0 0 0 
			 Nottingham City PCT 164 76 240 
			 Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT 175 549 724 
			 Oldham PCT 233 0 233 
			 Oxfordshire PCT 0 821 821 
			 Peterborough PCT 0 378 378 
			 Plymouth Teaching PCT 621 0 621 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 282 0 282 
			 Redbridge PCT 648 0 648 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 23 0 23 
		
	
	
		
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 0 0 0 
			 Rotherham PCT 0 1,069 1,069 
			 Salford PCT 559 0 559 
			 Sandwell PCT 226 186 412 
			 Sefton PCT 0 1,082 1,082 
			 Sheffield PCT 0 1,958 1,958 
			 Shropshire County PCT 190 0 190 
			 Somerset PCT 84 66 150 
			 South Birmingham PCT 88 0 88 
			 South East Essex PCT 65 566 631 
			 South Gloucestershire PCT 0 0 0 
			 South Staffordshire PCT 0 85 85 
			 South Tyneside PCT 0 0 0 
			 South West Essex PCT 1,201 922 2,123 
			 Southampton City PCT 572 0 572 
			 Southwark PCT 0 0 0 
			 Stockport PCT 1,624 21 1,645 
			 Stoke on Trent PCT 0 83 83 
			 Suffolk PCT 271 0 271 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT 0 22 22 
			 Surrey PCT 190 32 222 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 0 0 0 
			 Swindon PCT 571 663 1,234 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 514 0 514 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 919 0 919 
			 Torbay Care PCT 145 459 604 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 365 165 530 
			 Trafford PCT 0 0 0 
			 Wakefield District PCT 311 478 789 
			 Walsall Teaching PCT 246 0 246 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 0 0 0 
			 Wandsworth PCT 0 152 152 
			 Warrington PCT 0 0 0 
			 Warwickshire PCT 257 29 286 
			 West Essex PCT 202 281 483 
			 West Kent PCT 75 0 75 
			 West Sussex PCT 1,529 0 1,529 
			 Western Cheshire PCT 335 0 335 
			 Westminster PCT 193 0 193 
			 Wiltshire PCT .194 0 194 
			 Wirral PCT 0 804 804 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT 433 134 567 
			 Worcestershire PCT 0 607 607 
			 Hertfordshire PCT 6 0 6 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Teaching Care Trust Plus PCT 416 332 748 
			 Solihull PCT 168 36 204 
			 Notes: 1. "Other departures" include early retirements (except those due to ill health), voluntary redundancies, Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme, pay in lieu of notice etc. 2. Voluntary redundancies are not separately identifiable from other departures; therefore, an overall figure for redundancies is not available. Source: PCT audited summarisation schedules, 2011-12.

NHS: Staff Funding

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the staffing level is for NHS improvement programmes for (a) cancer, (b) heart disease and (c) strokes;
	(2)  what funding his Department provided to (a) cancer and (b) cardiac and stroke networks in 2012-13;
	(3)  what funding his Department has currently allocated to NHS improvement programmes for (a) cancer, (b) heart disease and (c) strokes;
	(4)  what the current staffing levels are for NHS (a) cancer and (b) cardiac and stroke networks.

Anna Soubry: The information requested on staffing levels is not held centrally. Staffing levels for both clinical networks, including cancer networks, stroke networks and cardiac networks, and NHS improvement programmes on cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke are a matter for local national health service organisations and NHS Improvement respectively.
	In 2012-13, the Department provided NHS improvement programmes with £22 million for activity on cancer and £18 million for activity on cardiovascular disease and stroke. The majority of this was provided through the strategic health authority (SHA) bundle. Included in this funding was £18 million identified for cancer networks and £15 million identified for cardiovascular disease and stroke networks.
	In addition to funding provided through the bundle, networks receive funding from other sources, such as their constituent, primary care trusts or from one or more of their provider trusts.
	Departmental funding allocations are based on estimates of the funding required to deliver clinical networks. However, it is for each SHA to determine how the total amount the receive in the SHA bundle is allocated to specific services, such as clinical networks, taking into account the needs of local populations.

NHS: Telephone Services

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on NHS service providers charging patients through the use of 0845 telephone numbers.

Daniel Poulter: The Department issued guidance and directions to national health service bodies in December 2009 on the cost of telephone calls, which prohibit the use of telephone numbers that charge the patient more than the equivalent cost of calling a geographical number to contact the NHS. It is currently the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure that local practices are compliant with the directions and guidance.
	The Department published further guidance as clarification on 23 February 2012, setting out the roles and responsibilities of the Department, primary care trusts, and NHS bodies, with relation to the guidance.

Older People: Loneliness

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people aged over 65 who suffer from extreme loneliness;
	(2)  what plans the Government has to tackle loneliness among older generations.

Norman Lamb: The information requested is not collected. However, the Campaign to End Loneliness has estimated that there are over 1 million people over the age of 65 reported feeling lonely.
	On 15 March 2012, the Department co-hosted a summit on loneliness which saw charities, businesses, hon. Members and public sector organisations come together to start a discussion about loneliness and isolation in older age and how it could best be tackled. The Department also commissioned and funded work on a ‘digital toolkit’ for Health and Well-being Boards to support local councils and the national health service to take action to address the issue of loneliness in their area which was launched on 10 July 2012.
	In addition, in 2013-14, the Department plans to include shared measures of well-being across both the Public Health and Adult Social Care Outcome Frameworks with a focus on developing suitable measures of social isolation.

Paramedical Staff

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of paramedics trained and equipped in the independent use of ketamine and midazolam.

Anna Soubry: This information is not collected by the Department.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's press release of 8 October 2012 entitled Eight thousand patients to benefit from advanced cancer treatment, 
	(1)  how patients and their clinicians will access the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund;
	(2)  whether funding from the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund will be available to ensure cancer patients have access to (a) stereotactic ablative radiotherapy and (b) other innovative radiotherapy treatments;
	(3)  how much of the £15 million set aside under the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund for 2012-13 will be made available for the purchase of new radiotherapy machines capable of delivering innovative radiotherapy;
	(4)  how the National Radiotherapy Implementation Group will manage the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund; and what Cancer Research UK's role will be;
	(5)  how many radiotherapy cancer centres in England are able to deliver intensity modulated radiotherapy to the standard set by the National Radiotherapy Action Group.

Anna Soubry: We have committed to establish a £15 million Radiotherapy Innovation Fund from October 2012 to enable providers to prepare to deliver from April 2013 certain advanced radiotherapy to all patients who might benefit.
	The radiotherapy fund is a revenue fund and cannot be used to purchase equipment that requires capital funding. The fund is not accessible by patients, it is aimed at helping radiotherapy centres that are not delivering treatment using Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), or are not doing as much as they should, to develop the capacity and capability to deliver at the appropriate level from April 2013.
	The criteria for allocation of the fund have not yet been finalised. There is likely to be a fixed sum allocated to all centres so all hospitals with radiotherapy centres will benefit. Bids will be sought for the remainder of the fund. While the priority for the fund will be IMRT, bids relating to other advanced technologies, particularly Image Guided Radiotherapy, may be considered from radiotherapy centres where IMRT is already being delivered at appropriate levels.
	Providers are responsible for maintaining and replacing high value equipment. Trusts need to prioritise their investments and ensure that they have sufficient equipment to provide, high quality, safe and cost effective services for patients.
	To encourage the national health service to update the existing medical technology infrastructure, the Department established a £300 million fund in March this year to bulk purchase medical equipment and achieve better prices for the NHS. The fund is operated by NHS Supply Chain.
	As part of the national support also being provided to radiotherapy centres, teams of experts will be visiting those delivering IMRT at low levels to help them develop robust action plans for delivery from April 2013. During these visits, local teams will also be able to seek assistance from the experts in developing business cases for other appropriate equipment they may need.
	The Department has asked the National Radiotherapy Implementation Group (NRIG), which includes representatives of the professional bodies and Cancer Research UK (CRUK), to finalise criteria that will mean that funding is allocated proportionately and will be used to ensure that advanced techniques are available for patients. Based on this work, the Department will allocate the funding. NRIG is also developing a programme of national support including visits from expert teams and national training aimed at clinical teams. CRUK is providing project management support for this work.
	Almost all radiotherapy machines in this country are able to deliver treatment using IMRT. However, a survey undertaken earlier this year reported that only four of the 50 radiotherapy centres in England were delivering inverse planned IMRT at the level recommended in NRIG guidance of 24%.
	The National Cancer Director, Professor Sir Mike Richards, has commissioned NRIG to produce a report setting out the state of radiotherapy in England in 2012. This report, which will be published shortly, will include survey data showing the wide variation in IMRT activity around the country and identify the centres with the lowest activity.

Radiotherapy

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether any of the funding he has allocated to the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund will be available to hospitals in the North East to purchase new innovative radiotherapy equipment;
	(2)  whether he proposes that patients will be able to choose which hospital they receive treatment in under the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund.

Anna Soubry: The radiotherapy innovation fund is a revenue fund and cannot be used to purchase equipment that requires capital funding. The fund is not accessible by patients, it is aimed at helping radiotherapy centres that are not delivering treatment using intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), or are not doing as much as they should, to develop the capacity and capability to deliver at the appropriate level from April 2013.
	The criteria for allocation of the fund have not yet been finalised. There is likely to be a fixed sum allocated to all centres so all hospitals with radiotherapy centres, including those in the north-east, will benefit. Bids will be sought for the remainder of the fund. While the priority for the fund will be IMRT, bids relating to other advanced technologies, particularly image guided radiotherapy, may be considered from radiotherapy centres where IMRT is already being delivered at appropriate levels.
	Providers are responsible for maintaining and replacing high value equipment. Trusts need to prioritise their investments and ensure that they have sufficient equipment to provide high quality, safe and cost-effective services for patients.
	To encourage the national health service to update the existing medical technology infrastructure, the Department established a £300 million fund in March this year to bulk purchase medical equipment and achieve better prices for the national health service. The fund is operated by NHS Supply Chain.
	As part of the national support also being provided to radiotherapy centres, teams of experts will be visiting those delivering IMRT at low levels to help them develop robust action plans for delivery from April 2013. During these visits, local teams will also be able to seek assistance from the experts in developing business cases for other appropriate equipment they may need.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to the press notice of 9 October 2012 from his Department on advanced cancer treatment, whether funding compatible with the Cancer Drug Fund will be made available to guarantee treatment access;
	(2)  whether the guarantee will apply to Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy Treatment, Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery;
	(3)  whether it is his policy that the Cancer Innovation Radiotherapy Fund will remain the vehicle for funding access to innovative radiotherapy;
	(4)  what funding he intends to make available to ensure that innovative radiotherapy equipment will be available in all English regions.

Anna Soubry: In October we announced that there would be guaranteed access to innovative radiotherapy where it is clinically appropriate, safe and cost effective from 1 April 2013. From this date onwards, radiotherapy will be planned and paid for nationally by the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB), so the same commissioning policies will apply across the country and cancer patients will be considered for the most appropriate radiotherapy treatment regardless of where they live.
	Funding compatible with the cancer drug fund will not be required to deliver this guarantee. We have committed to establish a £15 million Radiotherapy Innovation Fund, available until the end of the current financial year, aimed at helping radiotherapy centres that are not delivering treatment using intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), or are not doing as much as they should, to develop the capacity and capability to deliver at the appropriate level from April 2013.
	From that point onwards, the NHS CB will be responsible for commissioning radiotherapy services and will provide access to radiotherapy, including IMRT, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery where it is clinically appropriate, safe and cost-effective.
	The criteria for allocation of the fund have not yet been finalised. There is likely to be a fixed sum allocated to all centres so all hospitals with radiotherapy centres will benefit. Bids will be sought for the remainder of the fund. While the priority for the fund will be IMRT, bids relating to preparing to deliver appropriate levels of other advanced technologies, particularly image guided radiotherapy, may be considered from radiotherapy centres where IMRT is already being delivered at appropriate levels.
	The radiotherapy innovation fund is a revenue fund and cannot be used to purchase equipment that requires capital funding. Providers are responsible for maintaining and replacing high value equipment. Trusts need to prioritise their investments and ensure that they have sufficient equipment to provide high quality, safe and cost-effective services for patients.
	To encourage the national health service to update the existing medical technology infrastructure, the Department established a £300 million fund in March this year to bulk purchase medical equipment and achieve better prices for the NHS. The fund is operated by NHS Supply Chain.

Smoking: Motor Vehicles

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent discussions his Department has had with officials from the Northern Ireland Executive on the forthcoming public consultation in Northern Ireland on options around banning smoking in private vehicles; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if his Department will assess the results of the forthcoming consultation in Northern Ireland on options for banning smoking in private vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Following discussions at official level, the Department is aware of the planned public consultation in Northern Ireland on options around banning smoking in private vehicles.
	We await the findings and outcome of that consultation with interest.

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget is for the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust in 2012-13; and what its budget is in each of the next three years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department cannot provide the information requested. The Department currently allocates funding to primary care trusts (PCTs) and not to individual NHS foundation trusts (FTs). A national weighted capitation formula is used which determines each PCT's target share of available resources to enable them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations.
	The current formula calculates each PCT's target share of available resources based on the age distribution of the population, additional need over and above that accounted for by age, which includes factors such as deprivation, and unavoidable geographical variations in the cost of providing services (the market forces factor).
	The NHS Commissioning Board is responsible for the allocation of resources to clinical commissioning groups for 2013-14, which are to be announced by the end of the year. In addition, the Department will allocate a ring-fenced grant to upper tier and unitary local authorities for their future public health responsibilities.
	The financial resources data requested at Trust level can be obtained directly from University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS FT.

TREASURY

Broadband

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the likely reserve price for the 4G spectrum auction.

Sajid Javid: Ofcom is conducting the auction of spectrum to support the delivery of fourth generation mobile services independently of Government, and has set a reserve price of £1.4 billion.

Broadband

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue his Department expects to raise from the 4G spectrum auction.

Sajid Javid: Ofcom is conducting the auction of spectrum to support the delivery of fourth generation mobile services independently of Government, and has set a reserve price of £1.4 billion. HM Treasury has not formally assessed likely revenues from this commercial auction.

Budget Scrutiny

Edward Leigh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish the report prepared for him by the hon. Members for Southport and Gainsborough, Improving Financial Scrutiny of the Budget Process by the House.

Danny Alexander: The hon. Member for Southport (John Pugh) and the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr Leigh) provided to the Chancellor their independent report on improving parliamentary scrutiny of Government expenditure. Most of the recommendations contained in their report fall to Parliament. Hence it would not be appropriate for the Government to publish the report.

Business: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 17 October 2012, Official Report, column 317W, on business: Peterborough, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on Peterborough constituency of the funding for lending scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: The funding for lending scheme is designed to incentivise banks to increase lending in aggregate. Bank lending to households and companies across the UK is expected to be higher than in the absence of the scheme. The Bank of England will publish, for each institution participating in the FLS, the net quarterly flows of lending to UK households and firms from 3 December.

Child Benefit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on (a) consultants, (b) secondees, (c) IT and (d) staff training in respect of the child benefit income tax charge.

David Gauke: In respect of the high income child benefit charge, (a) no additional spending has been incurred on consultants; (b) no additional spending has been incurred on secondees, though one member of the HMRC team is on secondment from HM Treasury; (c) the amount allocated to IT spending was published in the Tax Information and Impact Note at Budget 2012:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0620.pdf
	and (d) the amount allocated for staff resources including training requirements was also published in the Tax Information and Impact Note. It is not possible to provide figures for the spending to date on IT and staff training.

Child Benefit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has allocated for the administrative costs of the child benefit income tax charge.

David Gauke: The administrative costs of the High Income Child Benefit Charge were published in the Tax Information and Impact Note at Budget 2012:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0620.pdf

Child Benefit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of people paying income tax at the higher rate in each parliamentary constituency in receipt of child benefit payments; how much his Department plans to spend in writing to such taxpayers to inform them of changes in child benefit; and when such letters will be sent.

David Gauke: The Government have made no recent estimate of the number of persons paying income tax at the higher rate in each parliamentary constituency in receipt of child benefit payments. The number of households in 2013-14 with a higher rate taxpayer, receiving child benefit was forecast to be 1.5 million. This information was provided in response to parliamentary question number 20842 on 23 November 2010, Official Report, column 267W:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101123/text/101123w0004.htm#/text/10112362000768
	Estimates broken down by parliamentary constituency are not available due to sample size.
	The estimated costs for customer information for the High Income Child Benefit Charge were published in the Tax Information and Impact Note at Budget 2012:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0620.pdf
	HMRC will send letters to taxpayers who are affected and these letters will start to be sent during the week commencing 29 October 2012.

Child Benefit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of people in receipt of child benefit who will begin to pay income tax at the higher rate (a) in 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14; and what steps his Department is taking to alert such taxpayers to the change in policy on the payment of child benefit.

David Gauke: The Government have made no recent estimate of the number of persons in receipt of child benefit who begin to pay income tax at the higher rate (a) in 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.
	The number of households in 2013-14 with a higher rate taxpayer, receiving child benefit was forecast to be 1.5 million. This information was provided in response to parliamentary question number 20842 on 23 November 2010, Official Report, column 267W:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101123/text/101123w0004.htm#10112362000768
	The Government will be writing to taxpayers they believe will be affected by the High Income Child benefit Charge.

Cleaning Services

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to require all cleaning contracts held by his Department to stipulate that the cleaning products used and their ingredients should not have been tested on animals.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury does not have a direct contract for cleaning services. Building and facility services in 1 Horse Guards Road are provided by Exchequer Partnership Plc under a 35-year private finance initiative (PFI) agreement established in 2002. Cleaning services are provided as part of the building and facilities provision.

Corporation Tax

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that multinational or foreign-owned companies trading in the UK pay a fair and reasonable amount of corporation tax.

David Gauke: The Government are alert to the risk that some companies may try to structure their affairs so that profits from UK-based economic activity are not taxed here. The UK system of taxing multinational business is based on internationally agreed principles that determine how much profit each country should tax. The UK works closely with other jurisdictions to share information and ensure a more effective approach to cross-border tax avoidance. The UK has specific tax rules to combat tax avoidance by international companies and supports international action on base erosion and profit-shifting, which has been endorsed by the G20.

Energy: Private Rented Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will (a) extend and (b) increase the landlord's energy saving allowance to incentivise improvements to energy efficiency in the private rented sector before the introduction of the minimum energy efficiency standard.

Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my response of 19 October 2012, Official Report, columns 543-44W, to the same question by the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson).

European Central Bank

William Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Article 127(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union empowers the Council to modify the decision-making bodies and procedures as set by the treaties or to provide for a delegation like that contained in Article 19 of the single supervisory mechanism proposal in respect of the internal governance of the European Central Bank.

Greg Clark: Article 127(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union ("TFEU") cannot empower the Council to modify the decision-making bodies and procedures set by the treaties, including the provision specifying the decision-making bodies of the ECB (Article 129(1) TFEU; see in addition Article 9(3) of Protocol (No 4) on the Statute of the European System of Central Bank and of the European Central Bank).
	The provision creating a Supervisory Board within the European Central Bank in Article 19(1) of the Commission's proposal does not modify the ECB's internal governance procedures, as the ultimate decision-making responsibilities remain with the Governing Council and Executive Board. Our view is therefore that this provision is consistent with Article 127(6) TFEU. However, we intend to seek drafting changes to further clarify the role of the supervisory board.

European Central Bank

William Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the EU treaties contemplate the participation of non-Eurozone member states in the decision-making bodies of the European Central Bank by means of secondary legislation.

Greg Clark: Under the proposed ECB regulation responsibility for the performance of both the ECB's monetary policy and supervisory tasks will remain with the ECB's Governing Council. This can only be comprised of representatives of euro area member states pursuant to article 283(1) of the treaty on the functioning of the European Union (‘TFEU’) read with article 139(2) TFEU). Article 283(2) and articles 139(2) also govern the membership requirements for the ECB's other decision-making body, the Executive Board.
	The proposal foresees the creation of a so-called Supervisory Board as an internal body of the ECB (article 19(1) of the proposed regulation). The Commission's proposal does not modify the ECB's internal governance procedures as set out in the treaties as the ultimate decision-making responsibilities remain with the Governing Council and Executive Board. Our view is therefore that this provision is consistent with the TFEU. However, we intend to seek drafting changes to further clarify the role of the Supervisory Board.

Green Deal Scheme

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce 
	(1)  fiscal and economic incentives in order to encourage homeowners and landlords to make energy efficiency improvements under the Green Deal programme;
	(2)  rebates on stamp duty or council tax for purchasers making energy-efficiency improvements to their homes in order to encourage homeowners and landlords to make energy efficiency improvements under the Green Deal programme.

Sajid Javid: The Chancellor announced in the 2011 Autumn Statement, £200 million additional capital to encourage early uptake of the Green Deal. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced, in September 2012, the first £12 million of this funding will be allocated to seven cities across England to help pilot Green Deal in their regions. Further to this, in October 2012, DECC announced that £125 million of this funding will be allocated to the Green Deal cashback scheme, which can be claimed by those who take up Green Deal from January 2013.

Green Deal Scheme

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the merits of reducing to five per cent the rate of value added tax on (a) A rated boilers, (b) A and B rated windows and (c) passive flue gas technologies installed by Green Deal-accredited installers in order to encourage homeowners and landlords to make energy efficiency improvements under the Green Deal programme.

Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. member to the answer given on 19 October 2012, Official Report, column 541W, to the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson).

Green Deal Scheme

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce fiscal and economic incentives to encourage homeowners and landlords to make energy efficiency improvements under the Green Deal programme.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 26 October 2012
	The Chancellor announced in the 2011 Autumn Statement, £200 million additional capital to encourage early uptake of the Green Deal. The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced, in September 2012, the first £12 million of this funding will be allocated to seven cities across England to help pilot Green Deal in their regions. Further to this in October 2012, DECC announced that £125 million of this funding will be allocated to the Green Deal cashback scheme, which can be claimed by those who take up Green Deal from January 2013.

Revenue and Customs

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role Atos plays in delivering HM Revenue and Customs' capabilities policy; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: In keeping with all good employers, HMRC has a comprehensive policy to support the capability of individuals to carry out. their job roles and responsibilities.
	HMRC's occupational health advisory services are provided by Atos Healthcare.
	Atos provides advice to managers regarding the impact of employees' health conditions on their ability to attend work, including advice on reasonable periods of absence related to their health and background, and any reasonable adjustments that should be considered.
	The Atos support ensures that managers have access to qualified guidance to enable them to progress capability issues related to employees' health conditions.

Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs responds to the requests of Mr John Echlin, a constituent of the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington, and provides him with R40 Tax repayment forms for (a) 2011-12, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2009-10 and (d) 2008-09.

David Gauke: If the hon. Member would like to write to me with the constituent's details, including national insurance number, I will gladly look into the matter. For information, R40 forms are available on HMRC's website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/forms/r40intro.htm

Sovereignty: Scotland

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the future of the Bank of England as the lender of last resort should Scotland become independent.

Greg Clark: The Treasury has had no discussions with the Scottish Government on the future of the Bank of England as the lender of last resort should Scotland become independent.

Tax Avoidance

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set up a review to assess the merits of setting up a tax avoidance system wherein all such schemes would be illegal without prior agreement by his Department.

David Gauke: The vast majority of people and businesses in the UK do not try to avoid their tax and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is very successful at tackling the small minority who do. HMRC is able to deploy a range of approaches to prevent, detect and counteract tax avoidance—and the Government are looking to strengthen its hand further by, for example, enhancing the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes rules and developing the UK's first general anti-abuse rule (GAAR). Once introduced, the GAAR will act as a powerful deterrent to those engaging in abusive avoidance schemes. Where such schemes persist, it will also improve HMRC's means of tackling them effectively.

Tax Evasion

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of individual high-value tax evasion; and how many officials in his Department were tasked with this in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

David Gauke: This Government are determined to tackle tax evasion of all kinds and ensure that the tax system operates fairly and efficiently for all. As part of the 2010 spending review settlement we announced that over £900 million would be made available to HMRC to step up their activity in tackling tax loss. This includes putting extra resource into tackling both avoidance and evasion, including high-value tax evasion. This reinvestment is funding a range of measures which will enable HMRC to bring in around £7 billion each year by 2014-15 in additional revenues.
	Within HM Revenue and Customs, compliance work against individual high-value tax evasion is primarily carried out by staff in the Enforcement and Compliance (E&C) line of business. A breakdown of the number of E&C officers engaged in tackling high-value tax evasion is available only at a disproportionate cost.

VAT: Boilers

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce VAT to 5% on A rated boilers, A and B rated windows and passive flue gas technologies installed by Green Deal-accredited installers to encourage homeowners and landlords to make energy efficiency improvements under the Green Deal programme.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 26 October 2012
	The Government has no plans to introduce a reduced rate for the installation of windows, boilers or passive flue gas technologies.
	The Chancellor announced in the 29 November 2011 autumn statement, Official Report, columns 799-810, £200 million additional capital to encourage early uptake of the Green Deal. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced, in September 2012, the first £12 million of this funding will be allocated to seven cities across England to help pilot Green Deal in their regions. Further to this in October 2012, DECC has announced that £125 million of this funding will be allocated to the Green Deal Cashback Scheme, which can be claimed by those who take up Green Deal from January 2013.

Welfare Tax Credits

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average tax credit overpayment in each region of the UK in 2011-12.

David Gauke: HMRCs strategy for reducing tax credit overpayments is to continue to focus on getting it right first time. We are developing a greater understanding of the causes of overpayments and continue to re-engineer products and processes to reduce the amount of debt entering the system.
	Information on the number of tax credits awards where there is an overpayment as at 5 April 2011, broken down by region, is published in the HMRC publication ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards 2010-11. Supplement on Payments in 2010-11. Geographical Analysis’. This publication is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/child-wtc-supp-geo-may12.xls
	Table 1.1 gives the number and total value of overpaid awards in each region and the average overpayment can be derived from this. For convenience, we have produced the value of average overpayments as at 5 April 2011 in the following table.
	2010-11 is the latest year for which this information is available. 2011-12 statistics will be published in May 2013.
	
		
			  Average value of overpayments as at 5 April 2011 (£) 
			 United Kingdom(1) 977 
			   
			 Great Britain 977 
			   
			 England and Wales 980 
			   
			 England 987 
			 North East 895 
			 Northwest 944 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 945 
			 East Midlands 945 
			 West Midlands 961 
			 East 914 
			 London 1,435 
			 South East 912 
			 South West 813 
			   
			 Wales 865 
			 Scotland 950 
			 Northern Ireland 986 
			 Foreign and not known 734 
			 (1) Includes foreign and not known.

Welfare Tax Credits: Complaints

Steve Brine: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward plans to change procedures at the Tax Credit Office so that all complaints must be (a) acknowledged and (b) dealt with within a timescale specified by the Tax Credit Office.

David Gauke: The Tax Credit Office aims to acknowledge all customer enquiries deemed as complaints within five days of receipt and aims to clear them within 15 days. There are no plans to change procedures.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship starts under the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers scheme took place in each region in each month since February 2012.

Matthew Hancock: The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE 16-24) provides up to 40,000 grants of £1,500 to support smaller employers taking on a young apprentice aged 16-24.
	Table 1 shows the provisional number of apprenticeship starts for which a payment was made through the AGE 16-24 scheme by region between 1 February and 11 June 2012 (the latest period for which figures are available).
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship starts for which a payment was made through the AGE 16-24 scheme by region between 1 February and 11 June 2012 (provisional) 
			 Region Total 
			 North East 230 
			 North West 440 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 250 
			 East Midlands 210 
			 West Midlands 280 
			 East of England 200 
			 London 190 
			 South East 280 
			 South West 230 
			 Other 20 
			 Total 2,300 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 except for Totals which are rounded to the nearest 100. Figures may not sum due to rounding. 2. Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Geographic information is based on boundaries of regions as of May 2010. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 11 October 2012
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current/

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the provisional end-of-year data for apprenticeship starts in 2011-12 for people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 24 and (c) 25 years and older, by English administrative region.

Matthew Hancock: Table 1 shows the provisional number of apprenticeship programme starts by age and region in the 2011/12 academic year (August 2011 to July 2012).
	Provisional data for the 2011/12 academic year provide an early view of performance and will change as further data returns are received from further education colleges and providers. They should not be directly compared with final year data from previous years. Finalised figures for 2011/12 will be published in January 2013.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by age and region, 2011/12 (provisional) 
			  Under 19 19-24 25+ Total 
			 North East 9,200 10,150 18,420 37,760 
			 North West 20,470 25,330 38,820 84,620 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 17,430 18,860 25,170 61,460 
			 East Midlands 11,690 14,000 19,500 45,190 
			 West Midlands 15,220 17,940 25,380 58,540 
			 East of England 11,940 14,080 18,610 44,620 
			 London 10,390 13,250 21,370 45,010 
			 South East 15,980 22,250 27,030 65,260 
		
	
	
		
			 South West 12,700 18,700 22,740 54,150 
			 Other 1,310 1,780 2,840 5,930 
			 England Total 126,300 156,300 219,900 502,500 
			 Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 except for the overall total which is rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Age is based on age at the start of the programme. 3. Regional breakdowns are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 'Other' includes some postcodes outside of England and unknown postcodes. 4. Figures are based on the geographic boundaries as of May 2010. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 11 October 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary_tables/

Business: Billing

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  if he will respond to the findings of the British Chamber of Commerce's Supply Chains report;
	(2)  if he will review the recommendation of the British Chamber of Commerce's Supply Chains report to introduce a kitemark scheme to promote prompt payments by businesses.

Michael Fallon: The Government welcome the British Chamber of Commerce's (BCCs) Supply Chains report and recommendations which highlight the continued problem of late payment and the need for action by businesses, Government and the banks.
	As the BCC report highlights, access to affordable finance is vital for small and medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The Government are taking the firsts steps towards the creation of a Government-backed business bank which will receive £1 billion of new Government funding and will aim to address long-standing, structural gaps in the supply of finance to businesses. The Government are also helping SMEs access affordable working capital through the Prime Minister's Supply Chain Finance Partnership with many of the largest UK businesses, and through the £100 million small business tranche of the Business Finance Partnership.
	We have also been working with business representatives including the BCC and other stakeholders on a variety of ways to help businesses manage cash flow and transform the culture of late payment, including through more efficient payment processes. We agree with the BCC that more can be done to foster good practice in business to business relations. We believe that the Prompt Payment Code is currently the most appropriate vehicle to do this, and our aim is that it should be the norm for businesses to sign up to the code.

Business: Loans

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many regional outreach events have been held as part of the Business Finance Taskforce pledges of October 2010; and where and on what dates such events took place.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 26 October 2012
	The Business Finance Taskforce banks created the Better Business Finance website to deliver the advice and support committed these banks committed to in the Taskforce pledges. In 2011, 15 ‘Better Business Finance’ outreach events were held in cities including Edinburgh, Belfast, Norwich and Bristol.
	In 2012, in association with the British Chambers of Commerce, Better Business Finance, is hosting a number of roundtable events, with 10 dates and locations confirmed to date.
	Better Business Finance also worked with the ICAEW to stage Business Advice Week from the 25-29 June 2012, and are working with Members of Parliament to provide constituency surgeries to promote mentoring.
	The dates and locations of these events are publicised at:
	www.betterbusinessfinance.co.uk

Business: Loans

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what mechanism his Department is monitoring the 17 commitments made under the Business Finance Taskforce.

Michael Fallon: I work closely with the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, the lead Minister for the Taskforce and other colleagues at Her Majesty's Treasury in monitoring the banks' performance against the taskforce commitments.
	The Business Finance Taskforce and other issues around SME finance are also regularly discussed at each quarterly meeting of the Small Business Economic Forum, which I chair. The Forum includes the British Bankers Association, the Taskforce banks and the business representative bodies. It met most recently on 24 October 2012, when the British Bankers Association (BBA) outlined their approach to an interim review of the Taskforce. I also met with Anthony Browne as chief executive of the BBA to discuss this and other issues earlier this month.

Construction: Industry

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the economic value of the construction sector in (a) Devon and (b) Newton Abbot constituency.

Michael Fallon: In 2011, orders for new construction work in Devon amounted to £751 million. Latest figures show that in the first half of 2012, new orders totalled £438 million.(1)
	Figures are not available for areas below local authority/county level.
	(1)Source:
	ONS New Orders in The Construction Industry 2012Q2, Additional Half-Year Tables.

Credit: Licensing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many credit licences have been revoked by the Office of Fair Trading in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jo Swinson: There are a number of reasons why the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) might decide to revoke a consumer credit licence, including where they identify a company engaged in unfair and improper business practices and/or where they identify clear consumer detriment.
	The following statistics gives details on the number of licences the OFT has revoked in the last five financial years.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2007-08 15 
			 2008-09 14 
			 2009-10 27 
			 2010-11 36 
			 2011-12 18

Drugs: Labelling

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the number of jobs that would be lost in the UK pharmaceutical industry if medicines produced in Israel were available in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Medicines produced in Israel can already be sold in the UK, provided the manufacturer has a Marketing Authorisation issued by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
	A protocol agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA) with Israel was negotiated by the European Commission and signed by the Council of Ministers in May 2010. The ACCA is a technical trade agreement that would simplify Israeli exports of pharmaceutical products into Europe. Consent of the ACAA by the European Parliament, which is required before the agreement can come into force, has been delayed, but is still under discussion.
	Further to Explanatory Memorandum No. 14974/09 deposited in Parliament by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 10 November 2009, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has no plans to carry out an assessment of the economic impact of the ACCA.

Electric Cables: Imports

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans the Government have to strengthen measures preventing the importation of counterfeit and falsely marked electrical cabling.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 October 2012, Official Report, columns 887-88W, to the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson).

Electric Cables: Imports

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress his Department has made in preventing the importation of counterfeit or falsely marked electrical cabling.

Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson), on 24 October 2012, Official Report, columns 887-88W.

Electric Cables: Imports

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK jobs have been lost as a result of the importation and installation of counterfeit or falsely marked electrical cabling.

Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer the Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson), gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Derbyshire (Pauline Latham) on 15 October 2012, Official Report, column reference 247W.

Graduates: Employment

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans the Government has to help graduates into employment.

David Willetts: University remains a great route to a rewarding career: 90% of full-time, first degree leavers are in work or further study six months after graduating, and graduates earn on average £100,000 more over their working lives.
	Government, universities, business, and students themselves all have a part to play in ensuring that graduates are well prepared for the labour market. To promote greater business-university collaboration, we are supporting the new National Centre for Universities and Business. The centre will cover all aspects of HE-business working—graduate recruitment, work experience, skills, research, knowledge exchange and innovation.
	We are also encouraging the take-up of sandwich placement years by capping tuition fees for students undertaking them, and are working with partners to raise awareness of the Higher Education Achievement Record as part of a wider project to improve graduate recruitment practice. We have recently announced a further three years' funding for the Graduate Talent Pool website to encourage more employers to provide graduate internships:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/graduates

Hawk Aircraft: Bahrain

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in which year the export of the Hawk trainer aircraft to Bahrain was underwritten by the Export Credits Guarantee Department; and what the maximum exposure was.

Jo Swinson: ECGD lists in its annual report and accounts the cases supported in the relevant year, subject to, for example, commercial confidentiality considerations. The annual report and accounts are laid before both Houses of Parliament and are also available on ECGD's website
	www.ukexportfinance.gov.uk

Higher Education: Admissions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications via UCAS there were to attend university from each (a) constituency and (b) local education authority area in academic year (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: holding answer 19 October 2012
	I shall place in the Libraries of the House copies of the latest information provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). The figures show the situation at the end of the main application scheme (30 June), so they do not include choices made over the clearing period. Final figures for 2012 entry will not be available until mid-December.

Languages: Higher Education

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students studied Mandarin at degree level in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: The following table shows the number of enrolments in Chinese Studies first degree courses in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from 2002/03 to 2010/11. Subjects are not coded to the level of detail of Mandarin. Figures on enrolments in Chinese Studies in 2001/02 are not available on a comparable basis with later years.
	
		
			 Enrolments(1) on first degree courses in Chinese studies in UK HEIs, 2002/03 to 2010/11 
			 Academic year of study Enrolments 
			 2002/03 505 
			 2003/04 510 
			 2004/05 550 
			 2005/06 570 
			 2006/07 630 
			 2007/08 690 
			 2008/09 815 
			 2009/10 900 
			 2010/11 945 
			 (1) Covers students in all years of study. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record.

Mobile Phones

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to his Department.

Jo Swinson: The following companies supply BIS with mobile telephones and mobile data services:
	Vodafone;
	Orange; and
	02.
	To put the spend in context over 99% of our activity is placed through the central Government contract with Vodafone.

Postage Stamps

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many first class stamps the Post Office sold in the six months (a) prior to and (b) after the price rise to 60 pence.

Jo Swinson: The information requested is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the chief executive officer of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the right hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 September 2012, Official Report, columns 27-9WS, on regional growth fund (update), how many jobs were due to be (a) created and (b) safeguarded from the bids that had withdrawn from the Regional Growth Fund.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 26 October 2012
	Pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 September 2012, Official Report, columns 27-9WS, on Regional Growth Fund (update), six additional projects have withdrawn from the process taking the total to 30. These withdrawn projects were due to create 3,309 jobs and safeguard 19,031 jobs.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 September 2012, Official Report, columns 27-9WS, on regional growth fund (update), how many of the total bids that withdrew from the first two rounds of the Regional Growth Fund had withdrawn by (a) 1 January 2012, (b) 1 February 2012, (c) 1 March 2012, (d) 1 April 2012, (e) 1 May 2012, (f) 1 June 2012, (g) 1 July 2012, (h) 1 August 2012 and (i) 1 September 2012.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 26 October 2012
	To date, 30 projects have withdrawn from the first two rounds of the Regional Growth Fund. The following table details the number of withdrawn bids and the date of withdrawal.
	
		
			 Date Number of bids 
			 During 2011 3 
			   
			 2012  
			 January 1 
			 February 1 
			 March 2 
			 April 0 
			 May 1 
			 June 3 
			 July 6 
			 August 9 
			 September 3 
		
	
	
		
			 October 1 
			 Total 30

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his answer of 18 October 2012, Official Report, column 370W, on regional growth fund, if he will provide anonymised details of the reasons cited to his Department for withdrawal from the Regional Growth Fund by the bidders he confirmed had withdrawn by 6 September 2012; how many of the withdrawn projects were (a) consortia-based and (b) stand alone bids; and how many of the projects were withdrawn on the basis of (i) reduction in scope through delay and no longer requiring Government funding and (ii) rendered not viable through delays in completion of due diligence.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 26 October 2012
	To date, 30 projects have withdrawn from the first two rounds of the Regional Growth Fund.
	Five of the 30 were consortia based bids (two consortia);
	25 were stand alone projects;
	No projects withdrew for the reasons set out in points (i) and (ii) above.

Research

Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what external policy research his Department has commissioned in each of the last six years; which organisation was commissioned to provide each such piece of research; and what the cost was of each piece of research.

Jo Swinson: Tables containing the requested information for each of the last six full financial years as well as the current one, to date, will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Saudi Arabia: Festivals and Special Occasions

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if the Government will take steps to protect the health and human rights of UK citizens undertaking the Hajj from exploitation by unscrupulous travel agents.

Jo Swinson: The Government believe UK citizens undertaking the Hajj are already protected from unscrupulous travel agents and has no plans to add to the legislation which already applies to organisers of trips to the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. All organisers of package trips are subject to the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 which, among other things, provides consumers with additional contractual rights and makes the organiser responsible for the proper delivery of all elements of the package. Organisers should have an Air Travel Organisers Licence, and consumer protection legislation which outlaws misleading and aggressive practices also applies, as does the general law on theft and fraud.
	The Government support the work of the Hajj Task Force formed earlier this year and chaired by the Muslim Leadership Panel. The task force is working to identify and promote the best means of ensuring that pilgrims are aware of their rights, how to identify reputable and trustworthy trip organisers, and, importantly, to whom they should bring any concerns they may have as to the behaviour of those selling Hajj trips.
	The Foreign Office consular teams in Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries have worked together to staff the FCO Consular Delegation in Mekkah during the Hajj. We also support pilgrims from the UK by publishing specific advice on the FCO website. This includes contact details for our Mekkah delegation and travel advice on the issues that pilgrims should consider before they journey to Saudi Arabia. This advice is available in leaflet form that pilgrims can carry with them when they travel.

Secondment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials from his Department are on secondment to companies in the UK; and what the names are of those companies.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills currently has 21 members of staff on secondment to various organisations. The names of the organisations involved include: European Commission, Cheshire West and Chester borough council, EADS Astrium, The Environment Agency, Scottish Government, EBDR, DOH/Monitor, Technology Strategy Board, National Audit Office, FTI Consulting, PA Consulting, European Union, Ofcom and Leeds county council.

Shipping: Conditions of Employment

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether all crew regardless of nationality who are working on a ship registered under a flag of convenience on routes between UK ports and (a) the Channel Islands and (b) France are subject to UK employment law.

Jo Swinson: UK case law has established the principle that a person with a sufficiently strong connection to the UK can take advantage of UK employment rights such as the minimum wage. Each case has to be considered on its individual facts.
	UK employment rights may be enforced by an individual through an employment tribunal. In addition, certain employment rights such as the minimum wage are enforced by Government. The Pay and Work Rights helpline (0800 917 2368) provides a single point of access to Government enforcement bodies.

Textiles

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the UK's imports and exports of textiles were in each year since 1982.

Michael Fallon: Trade data back to 1982 is published on the UN Comtrade database in US dollars, and is shown in the following table, using the Standard International Trade Classification codes 64 and 85 to identify “textiles”.
	
		
			 UK imports and exports of textile yarn, fabrics and apparel, 1982 to 2011, US$ billions, current prices 
			  Imports Exports 
			  Textile yarn, fabrics (SITC64) Apparel (SITC85) Total Textile yarn, fabrics (SITC64) Apparel (SITC85) Total 
			 1982 3 3 6 2 1 4 
			 1983 4 2 6 2 1 3 
			 1984 4 3 6 2 1 3 
			 1985 4 3 7 2 2 4 
			 1986 5 3 8 3 2 4 
			 1987 6 5 10 3 2 5 
			 1988 6 6 12 3 3 6 
			 1989 6 6 12 4 2 6 
			 1990 7 7 14 4 3 7 
			 1991 7 7 14 4 3 8 
			 1992 7 8 15 4 4 8 
			 1993 6 7 13 4 3 7 
			 1994 7 7 14 4 4 8 
			 1995 8 8 16 5 4 9 
			 1996 8 10 18 5 5 10 
			 1997 8 11 19 5 5 10 
			 1998 8 12 20 5 5 10 
			 1999 7 12 20 4 4 9 
			 2000 7 13 20 4 4 8 
			 2001 6 13 20 4 4 8 
			 2002 7 15 22 4 4 8 
			 2003 7 17 24 4 4 9 
			 2004 8 20 28 5 5 10 
			 2005 7 21 28 4 5 9 
			 2006 8 22 30 5 5 10 
			 2007 8 25 33 5 6 11 
			 2008 8 25 32 4 6 10 
			 2009 6 22 28 3 5 9 
			 2010 7 23 30 4 6 9 
			 2011 8 26 34 4 7 11 
			 Source: UN COMTRADE database: http://comtrade.un.org/db/default.aspx

Trading Standards

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure rogue traders who operate using multiple identities are prevented from continuing in business.

Jo Swinson: In April 2012, as part of the reforms to the consumer landscape, a new National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) was established. The NTSB has responsibility for prioritising national and cross-local authority boundary enforcement, such as illegal money lending and rogue and incompetent traders, to provide a more coherent approach to trading standards enforcement.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of badgers (a) suffering and (b) not suffering from tuberculosis in (i) the UK, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland, (iv) Wales, (v) Northern Ireland and (vi) each county in England in (A) 1997, (B) 2002, (C) 2007 and (D) 2012.

David Heath: The proportion of badgers that are infected with TB is likely to vary in geographical areas, and even between badger social groups. In areas of England where bovine TB is endemic, during previous badger removal operations (carried out between 1978 and 1982), estimates of prevalence in badgers ranged from 6.9% to 34.5%, and 33% to 80% of social groups were found to be infected.
	During the proactive culls which took place between 1998 and 2005, in the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) in England, an average of 16.6% (within a range of 1.6% to 37.2%) of badgers culled were found to be infected. However, this is likely to be an underestimate of true prevalence; when samples of these badgers were subjected to extended post-mortem and culture examinations, prevalence was found to be almost double.
	We do not hold estimates for the prevalence of TB in badgers for the UK as a whole, nor individually for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meetings Ministers in his Department have had with representatives from (a) the National Farmers' Union, (b) the Countryside Alliance and (c) animal welfare charities about the proposed badger culls in each of the last 12 months.

David Heath: holding answer 24 October 2012
	Details of ministerial meetings can be found on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/ministers/transparency/

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what consideration he is giving to recent developments in the DIVA test in formulating the Government's plans to control bovine tuberculosis;
	(2)  if he will take steps to advance the case for the use of cattle vaccine for bovine tuberculosis with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) the European Commission following recent progress in the development of new diagnostic tools;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the potential effects of recent progress in the development of a DIVA test on the Government's plans for the development of a cattle vaccine for bovine tuberculosis.

David Heath: Vaccination of cattle is a potential long-term option for reducing the risk of bovine TB in Great Britain and developing effective, affordable and usable vaccines for cattle (and badgers) is our ultimate goal. However, it needs to be recognised that vaccines can never represent a single answer to the problem of bovine TB. Vaccination is a risk reduction measure, most likely to be successful in controlling bovine TB when used alongside other disease control measures.
	We are working on steps agreed with the European Commission to provide the necessary assurances they would need before bringing forward a proposal to amend the legislation banning TB vaccination of cattle and allowing the DIVA test to be used as a trade test. AHVLA has recently shared its experimental data on the DIVA test with other OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) reference laboratories and with the EU Central Reference Laboratory for their views, but getting the international scientific validation that the Commission has asked us for will not be a quick or easy process. Experience shows that it is likely to take a number of years and may require further field testing, which we are in the process of planning.
	Only when we have confirmation the vaccine meets UK licensing requirements and the DIVA can secure international validation can we begin to reassure other member states that there are no animal health risks from allowing the trade of TB vaccinated animals.

Common Agricultural Policy

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with Ministers responsible for agriculture in the devolved administrations regarding the review the Common Agricultural Policy.

David Heath: I have spoken to the Scottish Agricultural Minister, and I have spoken to and met the Welsh Agricultural Minister and listened to their views on a range of matters including the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs met Scottish and Welsh Ministers at the September Agriculture Council and I plan to meet them again along with the Northern Ireland Minister in November. I remain fully committed to ensuring that the UK negotiates with the Commission, European Parliament and other member states so that we receive the necessary flexibility within the current proposals to ensure that implementation can reflect the agronomic and ecological diversity of the different parts of the UK.

Common Land

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to provide a response to his consultation on the registration of town and village greens.

Richard Benyon: After considering the responses to this consultation carefully, the Government have proposed reforms to the law for registering new town and village greens, which have been published in the Growth and Infrastructure Bill. The reforms comprise:
	Preventing town or village green (TVG) applications where a planning permission has been granted or where a planning application has been publicised and the decision is still to be made.
	Preventing TVG applications for land 'identified for potential development' in local and neighbourhood plans, including draft plans.
	Allowing landowners to make a statement with the effect that their land cannot be registered as a TVG.
	Improving the flexibility we have to set fees for TVG applications.
	The summary of responses to the consultation will be published soon.

Common Land

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications for status as a town or village green he has determined to be vexatious or unnecessary in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The number of applications to register land as a town or village green under section 15(1) of the Commons Act 2006 in the last five years is estimated as follows:
	
		
			  Applications received 
			 2007 143 
			 2008 196 
			 2009 194 
			 2010 134 
			 2011 137 
		
	
	In a 2009 study of a random sample of 48 applications submitted within the previous five years, the researchers inferred that 48% of applications were influenced in some way by plans to develop land. Full details of the survey can be found at:
	http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu& Module=More&Location= None&ProjectID=16581

Countryside: Access

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to introduce a countryside code setting out a code of behaviour for those visiting and walking in the countryside; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Countryside Code, which applies in England and Wales, sets out the responsibilities for both visitors and those who manage the land to help everyone to respect, protect and enjoy our countryside. It can be found on the Natural England website at:
	www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/enjoying/countrysidecode
	The code started life in the 1950s as the Country Code. It was updated earlier this year.

Floods: Insurance

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the statement of principles relating to guaranteed insurance for properties at risk of flooding.

Richard Benyon: The availability and affordability of insurance in flood risk areas is an important issue for this Government. We are in intense yet constructive negotiations with the insurance industry on a range of approaches that could succeed the current statement of principles when it expires on 30 June 2013.
	The Department continues to keep in regular contact with the Scottish Government about how any future arrangements might apply in Scotland. Ministers meet routinely to discuss issues of common importance.

Floods: South West

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of flood defences in South West England.

Richard Benyon: Currently 99% of Environment Agency assets (defences, sluices, weirs or pumps) in the South West are at target condition in high consequence systems, where the Environment Agency's assets protect many properties from flooding.
	Following the flood events of summer 2012, the Environment Agency has inspected its flood defences in the South West for any damage, and repairs have been undertaken where necessary.
	This year (2012-13), risk management authorities (the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards) are investing £20.4 million in flood and coastal erosion risk management projects in the South West, with a target of reducing flood risk to a further 1,668 properties. Over the previous three years, £125 million of flood defence grant in aid has been used in the South West to manage and reduce flood risk.

Marine Environment: Research

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date he plans the draft assessment from the Marine Research Vessels Group will be completed; and if he will place a copy of the assessment in the Library.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 25 October 2012
	The assessment of the Marine Research Vessel Group is expected to be completed by spring 2013. A copy of the assessment will be made publicly available on the Marine Science Co-ordination Committee website as well as in the House Library.

EDUCATION

Teachers: Training

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications were (a) received and (b) accepted for the (i) Teach First and (ii) Troops to Teachers programme in (A) 2010 and (B) 2011.

David Laws: Since the announcement of the Troops to Teachers programme, we have focused on increasing the number of service leavers undertaking initial teacher training (ITT). The Department began recording the number of service leavers applying for ITT courses from March 2011. Between 1 March 2011 to the end of August 2011, 27 service leavers applied for ITT courses, of which 21(1) were accepted.
	This year we allocated an additional 50 places on the Graduate Teacher Programme, which will be available to service leavers exclusively. We plan to allocate further places on an annual basis.
	Troops to teachers feeds into the Military Skills and Ethos in Schools project, which aims to bring together the work that is dispersed throughout the Department in this area.
	Teach First received 3,082 applications in 2010, of which 560 were accepted onto the programme and 5,324 in 2011, of which 772(2) were accepted onto the programme. The 2012 application round has not been finalised; however, Teach First has confirmed receipt of 7,113 applications for 1,000 places.
	(1) Data Teaching Agency May 2012
	(2 )Data Teach First May 2012